Art in the Heart mural will make its debut on Friday, April 26

Design mockup courtesy of the artist

The Art Supply Co. is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the Art in the Heart program, a large-scale mural project in downtown Pittsburgh, which will feature Sophia Marie Pappas as the inaugural artist.

After a local open call for artists this past fall, three artists were chosen to go through a paid design process: Alexis Gideon, Loring Taoka, and Sophia Marie Pappas. Pappas was recently selected as the final artist. 

Sophia Marie Pappas is an illustrator and letterpress printer living and working in Pittsburgh. She operates her own studio and tiny storefront, Studio PDP, in Millvale where she offers freelance illustration services and custom letterpress printing. Studio PDP also houses her mini shop where she sells original work and her own line of letterpress stationery.

Headshot of Sophia Marie Pappas, taken by August Pappas

“At its core, my work is narrative,” says Pappas. “I want to tell [you] a story, and I love a good story.” Taking inspiration from old country ballads, Biblical epics, eavesdropped conversations, as well as her own life, Pappas' work creates a visual language from the stories she’s witnessed and experienced.

Her new work for Art in the Heart will be installed this spring on the second and third floor windows of the Skinny Building, a commercial building located on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Wood Street. The aim of the project is to both preserve and celebrate these historic buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh. pappas' artwork will be illuminated from inside the building to create a lightbox effect, with her design showcased across more than 700 square feet. The goal of Art in the Heart is to provide a positive interaction with art for downtown Pittsburgh passerby, offering a moment of joy and lightness in the hustle and bustle of the city. 

To acknowledge the full process of this project, small prints of both Loring Taoka and Alexis Gideon’s designs will be displayed inside the neighboring Roberts building along with historical photos of the downtown strip.

Standing at a width of 5 feet and 2 inches, the Skinny Building is one of the narrowest commercial buildings in the world. The Skinny Building's lot was created in 1903 by a street widening project, and the building itself was constructed in 1926 by Louis Hendel (c. 1874–1945), who was a local fruit vendor. Continuing a cheeky legacy of “spite buildings,” Hendel had the building constructed partially in response to neighboring business owners who complained about him obstructing the sidewalk with his fruit-selling business.

Pappas' mural will be unveiled to the public on Friday, April 26 as part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Gallery Crawl.