Artist James Simon has completed his installation of "Rooster Waiting For The Streetcar" at Townsend Park in Elliot! Below is some information on this project as well as some of the artist's initial concept sketches. Thanks to James for this vibrant mosaic to welcome visitors and residents alike to the neighborhood of Elliot.

James Simon’s big sculptures lead to big mosaics

Magic River' flows through Downtown Bradenton

The Magic River’ is coming to life, piece by piece, on new City Centre parking garage

Mosaic mural depicts life in Bradenton

Artist James Simon’s latest work combines local sculpture, literature, and music

Studio Visit: James Simon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

When James Simon moved into a three-story warehouse in the Uptown section of Pittsburgh in 2000, the area was much different than it is now. Simon said his street, Gist Street, was a hangout for sex workers, and the neighborhood had a dangerous reputation.

with the help of many of its students.

About 150 Laurel Highlands students functioned as assistants to Pittsburgh-based artist and teaching artist-in-residence James Simon as the crew brought to life a work that Simon conceived and constructed during his residency at the school this year.

Celebrated Pittsburgh artist and sculptor James Simon is known locally for his larger-than-life sculptures and installations around town, like the Liberty Avenue Musicians or his colossal, kaleidoscopic mosaics that welcome people to Braddock and Uptown.

This time around, he’s making penguins—45 of them, in fact—to be installed throughout Allentown, Beltzhoover and Knoxville this summer.

Read More

Perry Harvey, Sr. Park: a Journey into Tampa's History.

Download PDF

It was a sneak peek of the soon-to-reopen $6.95 million remake of Perry Harvey Sr. Park in a quiet corner of downtown Tampa by the interstate — part history museum, part artwalk, part barbecue-grill-and-basketball-court community park. The place is remarkable not just for what's new or what's there to do, but also for what's there for the remembering.

James Simon really gets into the head of his subjects. 

His entire body can fit inside the cranium of the 16-foot concrete saxophone player he is putting the final touches on. 

This sculpture is part of a commission from the city of Tampa. Included are a 16-foot female bass player cradling her instrument, two 9-foot dancers doing the twist, two 6-foot dogs and a large jukebox. They are intended to be placed at the entrance to Perry Harvey Park in Tampa. 

Read More

James Simon wants to show Pittsburgh that public art can be a tool for urban By Nikki Pena / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

renewal. For proof, all he has to do is point out his window.

"Public art is my profession," he said. "I am someone who believes that public art is good for a neighborhood and city."

Mr. Simon, 59, started a project more than 10 years ago, Art on Gist Street, which has helped put the Bluff back on the map. More people are paying attention to the once-deteriorating area a couple of blocks east of UPMC Mercy. Passers-by wonder what will show up next.

Read More

Pop City Talks about The Bass Man Mosaic project-  See Pittsburgh Murals  link for more info.

Read More

“I think all of the partners, artists and residents involved are inspired by the way these projects are supporting each other in such a collaborative way. It’s not every day you get to see and experience the power of organizations and residents working alongside to achieve common goals.”

Cleveland Museum Of Art members  go on A public art tour of Cleveland.

Read More

Wonderful dedication of the new public art sculpture, "Chattanooga Music Man" by James Simon this morning in North Chattanooga. Congratulations to Public Art Chattanooga and everyone involved! - with Dan Bowers in North Chattanooga, TN.

The sculpture was made possible by an Art in the Neighborhoods grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation and support from County Commissioner Warren Mackey and numerous private individuals, organizations and businesses.

Read More

Read More

"Art And Inspiration" with James Simon ---William Rock interviews a diverse selection of artists, mystics, healers, wrestlers, and in general inspiring human beings- promoting the arts as a universal dialogue for humanity - for Jame Simon interview click on  

Read More

Urban Ghosts Media is best described as an offbeat online magazine about abandoned places, hidden history and alternative travel.

From traditional to avante-garde, art is a ubiquitous component of the urban landscape. Taking a broad definition of "urban art", Urban Ghosts features a wide variety of unique works from thought-provoking individuals, with a focus on recycled art created from discarded objects - which fits neatly with our coverage of the abandoned and the re-purposed.

Read More

James Simon and fellow artists created work in Vallauris , France at the AIR artist and residency. The work was then shown at the AIR's international gallery in July of 2012.

Read More

In between Fifth Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies, in a section called Uptown, sculptor James Simon has helped turn around a  depressed area with his introduction of fun, lively and witty art. That has led to a mini-revival that continues to spread through Uptown. The sculptures are Simon's, while the paintings are by artists he has brought in from as far as Mexico, as well as interns and students. All this sprung from Simon's purchase of three-story brick building, where he houses his studio, on Gist St. after returning to Pittsburgh from Sao Paolo to care for his parents. (Look for the festival in August celebrating this neighborhood.) To read more about James Simon, see this Pop City article.

Read More

By Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

James Simon gathered lumps of clay and molded them by hand. Slowly, he fashioned a 6-foot-tall statue of St. Michael the archangel and cast it in concrete.

The new memorial, which honors Pittsburgh police officers Paul Sciullo II, Stephen J. Mayhle and Eric G. Kelly, will be dedicated Monday, exactly two years from the day these men died in the line of duty in Stanton Heights.

St. Michael will be unveiled outside Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Church on Liberty Avenue in the center of Bloomfield. Set in a small park with trees and a garden, the sculpture stands on a three-tiered base decorated with ceramic tiles that bear the officers' images. Behind the statue is a stainless-steel shield made by Forms+Surfaces, an international company with an office in Etna.

Read More

Dynamic Changes: Sculptor James Simons "Liberty Avenue Musicians in the Pittsburgh's Cultural District.

Read More

"Simon's sculptures have brought an eclectic and joyous spirit to the historic district of Pittsburgh"

If Eve Picker knew how to take no for an answer, the sleek, three-story loft building that she slipped into a narrow lot in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh would be quite a different place. The 20-foot setback would be gone, and with it a bustling courtyard cafe. A second staircase and an elevator would have consumed living space that, given the building's 18-foot width, was already at a premium. Plans for an arresting glass facade would have been scrapped in favor of a faux-historical front done in standard-issue brick.

Read More

Art from the Heart

The new tile mosaic that 'appeared' over the winter holidays on the sixth floor of AEO's 77 Hot Metal corporate offices is fun to look at - it's even more fun to learn about

In an effort that combines artistry and charity, the "Blue Jean Mosaic" began its life with a grant from the AE Foundation to the Braddock Youth Project.  It's a summer program that employs teens from Braddock, Pennsylvania.  Braddock has the highest percentage of youth living in poverty in Allegheny County (the County that includes the City of Pittsburgh, and AEO's South Side Campus at Hot Metal).

Braddock Youth Project teens have three focus areas: the arts, communications and urban gardening. The project paired the Braddock teens, AE Associates and sculptor James Simon. Mr. Simon is a Pittsburgh-based recognized sculptor who has more than two decades of sculpture work which has been displayed worldwide. 

Read More