‘Patterns of Meaning’ showcases history of repurposed foundry items through art
The people in these images truly are men and women of steel.
They are individuals who labored to create the foundation for many items, from steel beams for buildings and steel tools for operating rooms to steel frames for automobiles.
A Pittsburgh artist and a collector of steel mill artifacts have teamed to honor the steel industry — the lifeblood of the “Steel City” — in an art exhibit that preserves its storied past.
“Patterns of Meaning: Historic Steel Mill Artifacts & Contemporary Artwork” opened Monday at the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
The exhibit includes large handcrafted wooden steel foundry patterns that were hand-built to specification, then packed in foundry sand to create the molds used to cast steel parts. They include massive gears, crankshafts, valves, rail car wheels — just about anything needed to build the infrastructure of the industrial world in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Some will be arranged in sculpture-like settings. Others will have works of art painted upon them, detailed scenes created by oil painter Cory Bonnet of Ohio Township. He’s teamed with Chip Barletto of New Castle to preserve these wooden patterns and original blueprints — thousands of them from Youngstown Sheet and Tube in Ohio and Whemco Steel Castings, Inc. in Homestead.
Barletto is vice president of All Metals Recycling in Rochester in Beaver County. He discovered the artifacts in a barn in Ohio, which was full of items from Youngstown Sheet and Tube, owned by Gene Koch.
There were 6,000 pieces. Some weigh 300 pounds. It took 10 full-size trucks to transport them all.
“When Cory saw the pieces, his jaw hit the floor,” said Barletto, who discovered Bonnet’s work through Facebook. “What Cory has done with these pieces is wonderful.”
The exhibit will feature a lounge area and expand into a former gymnasium space in the Energy Innovation Center, the former site of the Connelley Trade School, which was built in 1930. Two other artists — Brian Engel, who works in glass, and AJ Collins, whose medium is ceramics — will also be part of the show.
Bonnet is director of the arts corridor project for Pittsburgh Gateways Corp., a business accelerator based at the Energy Innovation Center. In the position, he will bring other visual arts programs to the center as a way to connect neighborhoods. The first is Tom Mosser and his exhibit “Really Big Faces,” coming in June. Bonnet plans to collaborate with the August Wilson House and the Crawford Grill in the Hill District for art events for underserved communities through Gateways Corporation.
Leading the way to create these art initiatives are Bob Meeder, Bill Miller and Don Evans of Pittsburgh Gateways.
“Chip and I could not have done this without the help of Bob, Bill and Don,” said Bonnet. “They believed in the vision for the show. These pieces are art by themselves. When I paint inside one of the pieces, it is like I am adding the narrative. I try to help tell the tale of the steel industry and how it helped build the world.”
Parts of the exhibit are on display at the Pittsburgh International Airport. This fall, a show is scheduled at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden in North Fayette. Bonnet hopes to showcase some items inside corporate offices and board rooms.
All the artwork Bonnet has created is for sale, with proceeds benefiting “Patterns of Meaning.” A newly acquired collection of patterns will soon be for sale through Bonnet New Vision Gallery on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. He also plans to also sell other artists’ works.
Bonnet created charcoal images of 30-foot smokestacks in the exhibit, which was designed by Angela Niera. Nate Lucas is an assistant designer. There are historic photos, paintings and chandeliers — which will be illuminated by Andy Moschetta of ArcheTek.
“Chip and I both share the same vision,” Bonnet said. “We both want to connect with history. We realize how hard these people worked in the past, and we have gratitude for what they did.”
Barletto said that he and Bonnet “have a love affair with this stuff. We want to preserve these pieces.”
A $20 donation is suggested for the Monday night event. Guests can register here. The unveiling coincides with the Association for Iron & Steel Technology conference running through Wednesday at the Downtown convention center.
Bonnet will be giving tours by appointment this week and hosting other events, from an artist’s talk to a musical performance, over the next few months. More information can be found at corybonnet.com.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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