Sharpsburg Community Garden soon will add a heavy metal touch to its ecosystem.
Shaler artist Oreen Cohen has spent the better part of the past few months working on a pollinator-themed scrap metal sculpture for the garden next to the Sharpsburg Community Library along Main Street.
Cohen, a Carnegie Mellon University graduate and a native of Rochester, N.Y., began her creative process in September.
Some of the scrap, including a bucket of bolts and shower curtain rings, were donated by Sharpsburg residents.
“It’s really exciting to be able to spend my days out here welding and be able to create my own timelines,” said Cohen inside her garage studio in early May.
“This was really imaginative and playful using scrap metal. I wish I could do this every day. There’s something freeing about it.”
The sculpture is about 7 feet high and 3½ feet tall. It will weigh an estimated 300 pounds, depending on how many pieces are used.
Most of it is hand-painted. One of the techniques used was hydro dipping, where an artist spray-paints water and dips the piece into the liquid.
Its base includes a large butterfly with holes in its wings for potted plants. There also is a green pad for the artist’s signature.
Cohen plans to add the finishing touches and weld everything in place during the first two weeks of June at the garden.
An unveiling is tentatively scheduled for June 20.
Cohen said she anticipates having no problem with transportation.
“Everything is built in pieces,” she said. “Everything is a pipe in a pipe. I really build how I’m going to move a sculpture into the design.”
Gardeners were able to provide ideas on its design.
Cohen said she was inspired by the gardeners’ passion and patience during her site visits.
“I think they’re really dedicated,” said Cohen, who has worked as a professional artist since 2003.
“I’ve been a part of a few different community gardens and done projects in other spaces. There was a real sense of togetherness there. I remember watching them sift through all the potatoes. They were digging all the potatoes to harvest for the fall. It was a really great group effort.”
The Sharpsburg sculpture will be Cohen’s third permanent public art piece. She also has sculptures in Wightman Park in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood and Emerald View Park in Mt. Washington.
The Pittsburgh artwork was done with fellow artist Alison Zapata, who lives in Aspinwall. Together, they formed OOA Designs (pronounced “ooo-ahh”).
Cohen said there are long-term benefits to creating a public art piece.
“It can be enjoyed for years to come rather than just a month exhibition somewhere in an indoor gallery,” Cohen said. “I feel, like, over time more people experience it.”
The Sharpsburg statue is part of the Triboro Pollinator Art Series that includes Millvale and Etna.
The series is presented by Millvale-based nonprofit CoNectar Flora to Table Education.
Pittsburgh artist Victoria Jennings completed a colorful mural in Etna. The Millvale project, which will be done at the CoNectar building at 411 Grant Ave., is still in its design phase.
The artwork also is a part of a broader community development initiative of the Millvale Community Development Corporation and Triboro Ecodistrict.
Projects are being funded through a grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.
As described by the National Park Service, a pollinator is anything that helps move pollen from one part of a flower to another. The movement helps fertilize plants and makes seeds, fruits and new plants.
Christina Neumann, CoNectar’s director, said the timing for the art series could not be better.
“CoNectar has helped develop the content basis for this art initiative that highlights the importance of pollinators in the lower Allegheny River area,” Neumann said via email.
“June is Pollinator Month. I think that would be the perfect time to unveil the artist’s work at the Sharpsburg and Etna sites as part of a broader pollinator awareness campaign. For the Millvale location, we’ll plan to announce more developed designs by that time, as well.”
Nanci Goldberg, CoNectar board member and an active Sharpsburg volunteer, helped pick the garden site and recommended Cohen for the project. The pair connected through the art world and have been friends for a long time.
Goldberg got a sneak peek of the sculpture earlier this year.
“It’s incredible,” said Goldberg, founder and director of Artspiration and owner of Ketchup City Creative in Sharpsburg. “She sees what you and I would consider pieces of junk and turns them into pieces of art.”
Goldberg said she is excited to have an original sculpture in the community garden featuring pieces donated by residents.
“When you’re doing a community project, you can’t forget that you have to include the community,” Goldberg said.
“I just hope people embrace it and hope there’s an educational piece to it, and they think about what they are planting and attracting to their property. You don’t have to have a big, huge garden to help nature.”
For details about CoNectar and its events, visit co-nectar.org.
To learn more about Cohen and her art, visit oreencohen.com.