The Firetree Project
Six years in the Making.
This large, outdoor sculpture has received extensive additions and decorative details that have almost tripled its size since its first conception. Four commissioned artists working in painting, fiber art, glass, and assemblage have added their creative voices to the project. They are, respectively, Sara Tang, Erin Relac, SaraBeth Post Eskuche, and Alejandro Franco. Information about the symbolic significance of the artwork is available through interactive "Flip-to-view: Symbolism" blocks. When on display visitors can activate bells that hang within the sculpture and yes, …you can touch the tree. Experience, in person, this artwork’s impressive scale, remarkable detail, global symbolism, and of course, all that hand-worked polished copper!
Igniting a Global Vision
The Firetree Project is a 24-foott-tall, steel sculpture that looks as if it were lifted from a child’s fairytale book.
There’s a message within the Firetree that applies to all ages--of people connecting with people to build a strong
planet future. With or without evening fireworks this powerful artwork is guaranteed to be as spectacular as the supportive community of individuals, organizations, and businesses from the Pittsburgh region that helped
make this project possible.
How it Began
The original Firetree concept was developed in the fall of 2017 by Saige Baxter and Duncan MacDiarmid.
The following year, the first Firetree Celebration was held in partnership with Pittsburgh’s Society of Sculptors
and the Borough of Millvale.
When Baxter received a residency in Portugal, MacDiarmid began managing all aspects of the sculpture’s design
and fabrication. He made connections to local businesses and gathered support from friends, family, and new acquaintances. He then began constructing elements of the tree in his driveway. “I think that I was the summer entertainment for people living on my street. Everyone was intrigued, if not a bit skeptical about what I was doing,”
says MacDiarmid. Using 6x6 timbers to build the cart structure, welding pipes for the branches, and finally adding
the 300 polished stainless steel leaves to the canopy--all this happened in the narrow parking/workspace separating
his home from the street.
The tree was assembled in September 2018 for SculptureFest 2018, a one-day festival organized by Pittsburgh’s
Society of Sculptors/SOS. To culminate the day’s events at Millvale’s Riverfront Park, the tree was set ablaze under the watchful eye of Millvale Borough’s Fire Department. Fireworks crackled and then in a flash, the carefully constructed, Ball of Light, which hangs high in the tree and is filled with flash paper, was ignited by a random spark. This powerful burst of light carried a symbolic message: working together we are powerful. Human potential is boundless within our communities and throughout our global society. MacDiarmid likes to say, “The sculpture is simply about people connecting with people to build a lasting future for humanity and our planet home.
We Live on a Planet
The Firetree sculpture represents one artist's thoughts about current world affairs. Whether it’s religious conflict, political divides, climate change, sustainability, human rights, equity, or food security, these issues have one thing in common: they all exist within the space of our small, yet remarkable planet. It seems unlikely that science will enable us to transport our complex human ecosystem to a new planet in some distant galaxy. So, it comes as no surprise that if we wish to live a rewarding life, we must do it here.
This artwork hopes to ignite a vision for the world, one where connections, ingenuity, and perseverance can build a strong planet future for humanity on Earth.
Artist Biography
Duncan MacDiarmid feels a connection to the land--the grit, moisture, light, and emotion that binds our human experience. This interest led him first to clay, a medium that would allow him to sculpt portraits and figures that would be fired in a kiln or cast in bronze. Eventually, he began putting small figurines into miniature landscapes made from found objects and cement. This series of work moved his artwork toward visual constructions that describe aspects of our human relationship to the natural world.
Raised in Philadelphia, MacDiarmid moved to Pittsburgh in 1988. The Strip became home to his first studio.
Tucked away on the second floor of Penn Avenue Pottery, MacDiarmid produced sculptural terracotta tiles that he marketed to craft galleries. He worked there for ten years before moving his workspace to his home in Lawrenceville, which was at that time a developing artist community. MacDiarmid cites the Society of Sculptors/SOS as providing mentors and exhibition opportunities that were pivotal to his development. No surprise, then, that he currently leads
this notable, 88-year-old organization as its president.
When reviewing MacDiarmid’s solo exhibition at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Mary Thomas,
Art Critic for the Post-Gazette, wrote, “All of [his sculptures] show a mastery of technique elevated by the artist's pervasive authenticity, which rises out of admiration, stewardship and wonder for his subject." Few sentences could have expressed the essence of this artist’s work more clearly.
Duncan currently lives and works in his home/studio on a hillside in Reserve Township overlooking the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville.
*Exhibition at the Westmoreland Focuses on Earth’s Natural Wonders,
Mary Thomas, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 15, 2014
Six years in the Making.
This large, outdoor sculpture has received extensive additions and decorative details that have almost tripled its size since its first conception. Four commissioned artists working in painting, fiber art, glass, and assemblage have added their creative voices to the project. They are, respectively, Sara Tang, Erin Relac, SaraBeth Post Eskuche, and Alejandro Franco. Information about the symbolic significance of the artwork is available through interactive "Flip-to-view: Symbolism" blocks. When on display visitors can activate bells that hang within the sculpture and yes, …you can touch the tree. Experience, in person, this artwork’s impressive scale, remarkable detail, global symbolism, and of course, all that hand-worked polished copper!
Igniting a Global Vision
The Firetree Project is a 24-foott-tall, steel sculpture that looks as if it were lifted from a child’s fairytale book.
There’s a message within the Firetree that applies to all ages--of people connecting with people to build a strong
planet future. With or without evening fireworks this powerful artwork is guaranteed to be as spectacular as the supportive community of individuals, organizations, and businesses from the Pittsburgh region that helped
make this project possible.
How it Began
The original Firetree concept was developed in the fall of 2017 by Saige Baxter and Duncan MacDiarmid.
The following year, the first Firetree Celebration was held in partnership with Pittsburgh’s Society of Sculptors
and the Borough of Millvale.
When Baxter received a residency in Portugal, MacDiarmid began managing all aspects of the sculpture’s design
and fabrication. He made connections to local businesses and gathered support from friends, family, and new acquaintances. He then began constructing elements of the tree in his driveway. “I think that I was the summer entertainment for people living on my street. Everyone was intrigued, if not a bit skeptical about what I was doing,”
says MacDiarmid. Using 6x6 timbers to build the cart structure, welding pipes for the branches, and finally adding
the 300 polished stainless steel leaves to the canopy--all this happened in the narrow parking/workspace separating
his home from the street.
The tree was assembled in September 2018 for SculptureFest 2018, a one-day festival organized by Pittsburgh’s
Society of Sculptors/SOS. To culminate the day’s events at Millvale’s Riverfront Park, the tree was set ablaze under the watchful eye of Millvale Borough’s Fire Department. Fireworks crackled and then in a flash, the carefully constructed, Ball of Light, which hangs high in the tree and is filled with flash paper, was ignited by a random spark. This powerful burst of light carried a symbolic message: working together we are powerful. Human potential is boundless within our communities and throughout our global society. MacDiarmid likes to say, “The sculpture is simply about people connecting with people to build a lasting future for humanity and our planet home.
We Live on a Planet
The Firetree sculpture represents one artist's thoughts about current world affairs. Whether it’s religious conflict, political divides, climate change, sustainability, human rights, equity, or food security, these issues have one thing in common: they all exist within the space of our small, yet remarkable planet. It seems unlikely that science will enable us to transport our complex human ecosystem to a new planet in some distant galaxy. So, it comes as no surprise that if we wish to live a rewarding life, we must do it here.
This artwork hopes to ignite a vision for the world, one where connections, ingenuity, and perseverance can build a strong planet future for humanity on Earth.
Artist Biography
Duncan MacDiarmid feels a connection to the land--the grit, moisture, light, and emotion that binds our human experience. This interest led him first to clay, a medium that would allow him to sculpt portraits and figures that would be fired in a kiln or cast in bronze. Eventually, he began putting small figurines into miniature landscapes made from found objects and cement. This series of work moved his artwork toward visual constructions that describe aspects of our human relationship to the natural world.
Raised in Philadelphia, MacDiarmid moved to Pittsburgh in 1988. The Strip became home to his first studio.
Tucked away on the second floor of Penn Avenue Pottery, MacDiarmid produced sculptural terracotta tiles that he marketed to craft galleries. He worked there for ten years before moving his workspace to his home in Lawrenceville, which was at that time a developing artist community. MacDiarmid cites the Society of Sculptors/SOS as providing mentors and exhibition opportunities that were pivotal to his development. No surprise, then, that he currently leads
this notable, 88-year-old organization as its president.
When reviewing MacDiarmid’s solo exhibition at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Mary Thomas,
Art Critic for the Post-Gazette, wrote, “All of [his sculptures] show a mastery of technique elevated by the artist's pervasive authenticity, which rises out of admiration, stewardship and wonder for his subject." Few sentences could have expressed the essence of this artist’s work more clearly.
Duncan currently lives and works in his home/studio on a hillside in Reserve Township overlooking the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville.
*Exhibition at the Westmoreland Focuses on Earth’s Natural Wonders,
Mary Thomas, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 15, 2014