Three Rivers Arts Festival

Andrew Carnegie: Floating Festival Diplomat

4 June 2010 by Emily in Visual Arts

After an introduction during a dinner party in Pittsburgh last Thanksgiving, artist Stephen Antonson found himself one step closer to realizing his dream of creating a 20’ bust of Andrew Carnegie. Today, that dream is a reality.

Three Rivers Arts Festival officially began when Antonson’s inflatable sculpture of Andrew Carnegie’s head was unveiled this morning in the Allegheny River.

You see, what started out as an idea is now a nylon-coated vinyl inflatable which will float at the convergence of our three rivers throughout the duration of the Festival.

Antonson had been speaking with Alice Snyder, vice-chair of the Three Rivers Arts Festival Advisory Board at that dinner party. She encouraged Antonson to develop an idea for a public sculpture, which later turned into a work created specifically for the Festival. He ultimately landed on this cost-effective, logistically-sound concept which would be manufactured outside of Cleveland, brought back to Pittsburgh and then inflated in the river.

The piece is a floating bust of Andrew Carnegie clad in a snorkel and diving mask combination, his facial features airbrushed onto the blank vinyl canvas from a mechanical lift. A generator inside the head blows cold air, keeping it inflated no matter what the temperature is outside.

Carnegie’s first home in Pittsburgh was on the North Side (named Allegheny City at the time), just a stone’s throw from where Antonson launched the inflatable doppelganger – a purposeful placement.

“It is my hope that this installation will attract a wide and varied audience, luring new devotees to the Festival.”

A steel magnate who grew from humble beginnings as the son of a Scottish weaver, Carnegie became a benefactor and philanthropist who made a huge impact on the City of Pittsburgh. That impact is evident today in the city’s thriving cultural and educational institutions.

Stephen Antonson is a product of one such institution. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, he moved to Homestead where he overlooked steel mills for a year. “During those years, I saw Carnegie as this presence that lingered over the city on a number of levels,” he said. “In a way, it’s interesting to have him come back to Pittsburgh and admire what the city has become.

While reading David Nasaw’s biography of Carnegie, Antonson came across what might be the perfect quote to accompany his inflatable sculpture. Referring to his investments, Carnegie said, “When Pittsburgh sinks, I sink with it, and when Pittsburgh swims, I shall swim with it.”

Andrew Carnegie’s head is still above water. Swim on, Andy. Swim on.