About
PittsBirds is a series of 20 unique, graphic, and colorful bird artworks that serve as messengers, sharing the stories and histories of the community they inhabit along the University Line transit corridor. Shaped by community voices, each artwork reflects the character of its neighborhood.
About the Project
The University Line is a joint project of the City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Regional Transit to connect Downtown, Oakland, and Uptown via a new bus rapid transit line. As part of the City’s Percent for Art program, with support from the American Recovery Plan Act, the project included the commission of public artwork integrated throughout the corridor.
To lead the public art effort, the City retained Shiftworks Community + Public Arts and The Art Supply Co. to manage the artist selection process and oversee the project’s development. Through an open call for artists living and working in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Marsha Rollinger was selected to create artwork for the University Line.
Following her selection, Rollinger conducted extensive engagement with community members in Downtown, Hill District, Oakland, and Uptown through virtual and in-person activities. A public survey invited community members to share the stories, themes, and neighborhood characteristics they wanted to see reflected in the artwork.
Drawing from community conversations and survey responses, Rollinger developed PittsBirds, a series of 20 colorful bird artworks. Designed as an urban bird-watching scavenger hunt, each bird incorporates community-inspired iconography, serving as a messenger that celebrates the stories, history, and identity of the surrounding neighborhoods. The PittsBirds series is installed throughout the University Line corridor and includes ground and pole-mounted sculptures as well as utility box wraps. Explore the series to learn more about each bird and discover the neighborhood stories embedded into every artwork.
About the Artist
Marsha Rollinger is a visual artist who always knew she wanted to utilize her creative imagination and artistic talents as a life-long career.
After graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, she worked in the art departments at various companies, enhancing her existing skills. Her artistic journey eventually resulted in Nintendo moving her to the Seattle area and while volunteering on an arts commission there, she realized that she could pursue a new creative passion—to become a public artist.
Now back home in the Pittsburgh area, Marsha is excited to collaborate with other artists, organizations, and the community at large to create artwork that transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary ones for all to enjoy.
Partners
“I enjoy public art projects the most because they are accessible to all and evoke a sense of joy and pride in the communities we live in. The University Line project gave me the opportunity to really connect with several Pittsburgh neighborhoods to be sure the artworks I created included what was most important to them.”
—Marsha Rollinger