Creative Citizen Studios

06/11/2026

Next up! ☀️ sidewall project springs into summer hosting Julie Piller and her visually electric, untitled work through the end of June.

In a fantastical flip, viewers are rendered small below a towering, vibrant flower, whose colors radiate warmth from its center, as if beaming the sun’s energy back towards viewers, the city buzzin’ with activity in the summer heat.
-
Julie Piller is a Pittsburgh based mixed media artist with primary focuses in experimental alternative photographic processes and Islamic geometry. Curiosity is at the root of her practice. She balances in-depth research and foundational technique with intuitive process-based exploration. Her work embodies the dynamic interplay of precision and spontaneity through the use of light, texture, and form.

Julie is a familiar presence at Creative Citizen Studios, cultivating her skills and sharing her artistic expertise with fellow artists. A passionate advocate with a deep understanding of the needs of the community, Julie’s enthusiasm and care make a lasting impact at CCS. Whether exhibiting through CCS or independently, Julie’s work invites viewers into a thoughtful and visually rich creative world.
-
sidewall is an exhibition space dedicated to showing works by artists both local and abroad, creative collaborations, guest curations, etc. this is done in hopes of increasing the opportunity for artists to publicly exhibit work, contribute to the visual dialogue of the neighborhood and inspire conversation. it is hosted on the side wall of a private residence at the corner of 608 S. Millvale & Lima Way

Drive or walk by, snap a photo and tag us Creative Citizen Studios (CCS)

06/11/2026

Julie’s work up now at the Sidewall: a mural project!
Stellar work so far - we are so grateful for the opportunity!
Julie is crushing it these days 🤯

sidewall project springs into summer, hosting Julie Piller and her visually electric, untitled work through the end of July.
In a fantastical flip, viewers are rendered small below a towering, vibrant flower, whose colors radiate warmth from its center, as if beaming the sun's energy back towards passers-by, the city a-buzz with activity in the summer heat.

----------------------
Julie Piller is a Pittsburgh based mixed media artist with primary focuses in experimental alternative photographic processes and Islamic geometry. Curiosity is at the root of her practice. She balances in-depth research and foundational technique with intuitive process-based exploration. Her work embodies the dynamic interplay of precision and spontaneity through the use of light, texture, and form.

Julie is a familiar presence at Creative Citizen Studios, cultivating her skills and sharing her artistic expertise with fellow artists. A passionate advocate with a deep understanding of the needs of the community, Julie’s enthusiasm and care make a lasting impact at CCS. Whether exhibiting through CCS or independently, Julie's work invites viewers into a thoughtful and visually rich creative world.

----------------------
Creative Citizen Studios (CCS) uses art to bring people of all abilities together. We work with artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make, exhibit, and sell their work. Our weekly art classes, workshops, and exhibit opportunities help promote our artists while connecting them with a larger community of artists.
CCS is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Citizen-artists featured in local, regional, and national art shows and exhibit spaces.

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

See last post on our page for more details…. we are so excited to share our new mosaic masterpiece! ✨💗

Sound on for bird songs!

Check it out for yourself : 312 Grant Ave!

06/03/2026

We feel rich in community & color…💗

How do you capture such a lovely community? You take 47–65 incredibly talented people, give them a 4×4 square and a color theme, and let them go to town with skill and ideas. Look close!! You’ll hear our laughter.

CCS completed a milestone project… and we get to share it with you. One of our first public art pieces is now up in Millvale!

It all started when Erika came to the citizens with an inspired idea. Each citizen artist took time, planned, learned, practiced, tried, and succeeded… and then carefully contemplated placement and display, through the final clear vision of the talented (Erika Johnson!!). Erika listened every time she was in the studio to make sure artists voices and hands were captured each step of the way.

Yesterday, the piece took its final place on the wall of our corner studio space in Millvale. When the sun shines, you’ll catch glimmers of reflective mirrors and glass, donated colored glass and pottery, found pottery and tesserae from Girty’s, and broken bits shaped by the hands of our potter friends and ccs past programs...

The future of CCS is bright, speckled, colorful, and worked on by so many wonderful hands. This is what community looks like.

Special thanks to for skill, donations of materials and advice along the way - as well as Blair Barthels for their hanging expertise! Extra hands and skills shoutout to and

Last - one more big thank you to for bringing the joy, the vision and the final piece home!
Come see it for yourself : 312 Grant Ave Millvale

05/11/2026

05/06/2026

✨Citizen Made is now selling works ONLINE! ✨

We’re new to the online sales scene but we’re excited to be piloting a way to get these works into your homes.

Citizen Made is a project of Creative Citizen Studios focused on small art products and fine-art weavings. The pieces available now are part of our very first weaving line (sometimes, artists very first weavings!) , originally made by artists from !

Citizen Made folks are in the studio every Friday, weaving skill and community collaboration into each piece.

We’re committed to making fine art sales work for everyone—offering accessible price points while still honoring the time, labor, and value of each artist’s work.

Take a look, send some love, and consider bringing a weaving home. Supplemental income for CCS artists is just beginning to take shape.

More to come soon!!!

05/04/2026

April 2026
Faron Thompson
Landscape

05/04/2026

Faron Thompson - up now at Sidewall: a mural project ✨✨✨

This April through May, sidewall hosts Landscape, an austere environmental expanse captured by artist Faron Thompson.
-----------------------
Faron Thompson of Squirrel Hill is a versatile painter and illustrator. He is a lover of classical artists from history and often takes inspiration from their work. From landscapes to still lives, to portraits – and everything in between – Faron is always ready to paint in his own style. Along with classical painting, he is also a very talented cartoonist, taking inspiration from 90s character cartoons. If you’re lucky enough to catch him in the act, he will combine his comedic-cartoonist style with his classical paintings and dazzle you with something unique and interesting. Faron is also a talented weaver and is part of our Citizen Made program hosted at Contemporary Craft. He weaves complete textiles from start to finish with very little assistance. After only 1.5 years of weaving part-time he has shown an exemplary depth of knowledge in the process of weaving.
----------------------
Creative Citizen Studios (CCS) uses art to bring people of all abilities together. We work with artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make, exhibit, and sell their work. Our weekly art classes, workshops, and exhibit opportunities help promote our artists while connecting them with a larger community of artists.

CCS is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Citizen-artists featured in local, regional, and national art shows and exhibit spaces.