Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project

September 01, 2016

Hemispheric Conversations: Urban Art Project (HCUAP, pronounced, “hiccup”) seeks to create platforms for conversation and education about urban art production (graffiti, street art, and muralism, among other genres) to explore aesthetic and historical connections between post-industrial cities. Beginning in 2016 we have sustained eight years of programming that focused on the intercultural exchange between the post-industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Mexico, and León Guanajuato Mexico.

Urban Art covers a broad range of topics and issues. We activate dialogue through a combination of educational outlets: public debates, day-long symposia, and parallel public-facing research with art production residencies and a series of art workshops. This approach forges a collaborative approach to making and advocating for the amplification of urban arts and artists as positive mechanisms for imagining and reimagining urban space.

These topics raise larger questions about peoples’ power in shaping their environments; about the desired image of the city we would like to see; and about questions of just development and community history and identity.

HCUAP programming is organized by Caitlin Bruce, Shane Pilster, Max Gonzales, and Emma Riva in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh. Oreen Cohen, an original co-founder of HCUAP and partnership and curricula coordinator, stepped down from their position in 2024.

Since 2016, we have created murals on the South Side, Millvale, The Carrie Furnaces, Homestead, Bloomfield, Garfield, New Kensington, and Homewood. We have hosted Youth Street Art Workshops at Assemble, CLP-Beechview, CLP-Hazelwood, Environmental Charter School, University of Pittsburgh, Boys and Girls Club of Western PA, Manchester Charter School, Millvale Public Library, Brashear High School, and Wilkinsburg Community Forge and adult workshops at Fiasco Art Center, the Clement Way Permission Wall, Vault Art Studios, among other sites. Our 2019 Pop Up Gallery was at the Artist Image Resource, our 2021 Pop Up show was at Kindness Solidarity Design, or 2023 Summertime Shine show was at the Pittsburgh Downtown Cultural Trust, and our 2024 two-month exhibition was at MixTape.

All events are free and open to the public.

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