John Peña

I am a multidisciplinary artist whose work includes community-based public art, site-specific installations, and sculpture. I strive to create experiences that encourage a deeper examination of the natural and built environment. I do this by researching cultural, ecological, and personal histories of sites to better understand the history of both spaces and places. I have a wide breadth of experience in designing, budgeting, and implementing multifaceted works of public art.

In 2017, I began collaborating with fifteen senior residents of the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Larimer to produce a metal sign that presented stories from the senior residents. The text on the sign changed every two weeks to present an unfolding narrative as told through the voices of the neighborhood’s oldest residents. In 2023, I worked with Shiftworks, PennDOT, HDR, and SWANK Construction to create a site- specific artwork on the new Fern Hollow Bridge. My work, “400 Million Years of Water,” consists of sandblasted water patterns etched and stained into the pedestrian sidewalk of the bridge. These patterns highlight major water events that occurred over the last 400 million years.

With all of my projects, I hope to create wonder, excitement, and intrigue for the ordinary spaces of our lives.

Photo by Ivette Spradlin