Pittsburgh street artists call for kindness with new mural in Sharpsburg

This article first appeared at NEXTpittsburgh.com, a media partner of Kidsburgh. Sign up here for NEXTpittsburgh’s free newsletter filled with all the latest news about the people driving change in our city and the innovative and cool things happening here. Photo above courtesy of dowhatwelove.

It’s easy to feel discouraged by the negativity that seems to be surrounding us, but two local artists are lifting spirits with a mural in Sharpsburg.

Verizon reached out to Shane Pilster and Max “GEMS” Gonzales to create the mural for the nationwide A Call for Kindness campaign to “spread love through art” with positive messaging murals. The artists also partnered with Artspiration, a local non-profit, on the project.

Pilster and Gonzales are renowned for their colorful street art and commitment to arts education in the community. They have also worked on national campaigns in the past with brands such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and vitaminwater.

“The genesis of the campaign came about in early 2020 and it’s really just about encouraging folks to go out, perform kind acts, and make the world a better place,” says Andrew Testa, public relations manager at Verizon. “We’ve all been going through a tough time. If you look around, we’re really all in this together.”

“Not to say that we compromise quality in any way, but graffiti is a technique that produces amazing results really quickly. Spray paint is just a magic tool,” Gonzales says.

Gonzales spearheaded the design process with influence from Mexican-American and Chicano muralism. The mural portrays a sunset scene of reds, oranges and yellows and shows an anime-like frog character fishing in a pond. A cat and dog are crossing a bridge holding hands. With its striking colors and simple statement about unity, the mural makes it easy to smile.

You can find the mural in Sharpsburg for the foreseeable future at 924 Main St. at the corner of 10th Street.