The Andy Warhol Museum announced that the museum will spearhead a major new cultural and economic development project that intends to transform a six-block section of the museum’s neighborhood on Pittsburgh’s North Shore into a thriving hub for expansive cultural programming, creative workforce development and ultimately a new cultural tourism destination. To be known as the “The Pop District,” the project aims to use the power of public art, digital media production, live music and performance to create a museum-led destination in the city where Andy Warhol was born. Patrick Moore, The Warhol’s director and leader of the project, states, “Andy continues to be emblematic of the American entrepreneurial spirit—a true agent of influence and change. We now have the plan and resources to follow suit as an agent of change for Pittsburgh and an example of how creative communities throughout the country can be activated to boost and sustain a local economy through focusing on opportunities and experiences for young people.”
The physical and programmatic expansion of The Warhol will be the catalyst for creative placemaking and economic transformation through the arts. Dr. Steven Knapp, President and CEO of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, parent organization of The Warhol, explains the project’s impact: “The Pop District will demonstrate the role that museums can and must play in their communities by serving as centers of innovation and catalysts of economic development. This new district on the North Shore will also complement and amplify the vital role of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, to which it is directly joined by the Andy Warhol Bridge.” The response to the project already has been favorable, as The Warhol has secured significant support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, and has the endorsement from city, state and local community groups.
