PITTSBURGH, Feb. 10, 2006—Yesterday's unveiling of a 25-foot sculpture near Duquesne University was the culmination of an ongoing effort by local artists and university officials to revitalize a struggling Pittsburgh neighborhood, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

James Simon created Uptown Rhythm, the 9-by-25-foot vertical relief sculpture as the latest manifestation of his initiative to use art to rehabilitate Pittsburgh's Uptown community. Described as a "playful" bridge between the university and Uptown cultures by Duquesne University President Charles J. Dougherty, the relief depicts a "colorful cacophony" of people, animals, musical instruments and animated buildings.

"It represents the vitality and diversity that has been and can be Uptown again," said Jeanne McNutt, an artist and leader of the Uptown Community Action Group. McNutt has encouraged Simon in his effort to make Uptown known for its public art.

Together with friend and neighbor John Fleenor, Simon established the Art on Gist Street public art initiative in response to the presence of drug dealers and prostitutes in the neighborhood.

"It's a depressed area that we wanted to turn into an outdoor art gallery," he said. "You have to have a community force to stop ugly things from happening, but my angle is artart for the people, because art is not part of the lives of most poor people."

Uptown Rhythm is the second work Simon has contributed to the project.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Dressing Up Uptown James Simon Unveils His 25-Foot Tall Sculpture