A Quiet Sunday Morning 2
Object number2023.11.1
Artist
James Allan
Date2010
MediumWood; Metal; Plastic; Paint; Fabric; Adhesive
Credit LineGift of James Allan
DescriptionArtwork diorama of neighborhood of miniature houses and stores. Rectangular wooden housing with open front and plywood back; housing is wider at the base and tapers to narrower top. Interior of diorama depicts four rows of five buildings each on a steep hill; the top three rows are residential row houses and the bottom row are commercial buildings, from viewer's left to right: Pawn Shop, Barber Shop, Pet Store, Arts and Crafts Store, and Pizza Shop. Each row has applied faux greenery between. Sky is painted blue with white clouds and left and right sides are painted green with trees and foliage. Each structure is constructed of painted wood with unique details. Miniature electrical lines run horizontally across each row.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 48.5 x 37.625 x 10.625 in. (123.2 x 95.6 x 27 cm)SignedArtist signature on front in black ink in viewer's bottom right corner of the frame "Jim Allan - 2010".
InscriptionsFront has handwritten text in black ink at bottom center of frame "A Quiet Sunday Morning 2".
Top row has house address numbers, from viewer's left to right "400", "524", "528", and "526"; viewer's far right house does not have a house number.
Second row from top has house address numbers, from viewer's left to right "420", "48", "434", "428", and "522".
Third row from top has house address numbers, from viewer's left to right "430", "350", "354", and "358"; viewer's far right house does not have a house number.
Bottom row's Barber Shop has building address number "250"; the other buildings do not have address numbers.
Top row, middle house, has window sign with red text "Beauty Salon / Complete Beauty / Service".
Top row, fifth house from viewer's left, has sign in front yard "FOR / SALE".
Second row from top, first house on the viewer's left has sign with black text "Steelers", banner with black text "Steelers / LET'S GO STEELERS!", and pennant with yellow text "steelers".
Second row from top, third house from the viewer's left, has window sign with red and green text "Annie's / DAY CARE" and toy box with green text "TOY BOX".
Second row from top, fourth house from the viewer's left has pennant with yellow text "steelers".
Second row from top, fifth house from the viewer's left has sign with white text "ADT".
Third row from top, fifth house from the viewer's left has a window sign with black text "ROOM / FOR / RENT" and yard sign with orange text "FOR / RENT / 412-655-7073"; also has pennant with yellow text "steelers".
Bottom row has text on each building, from viewer's left to right:
"PAWN SHOP";
"Sam's / BARBER SHOP";
"paw prints pet store";
"Village Arts & Crafts"; and
"PIZZA" and "HOAGIES".
Street signs along bottom, from viewer's left to right, have text: "SPEED / LIMIT / 25", "NO / PARKING / ANY / TIME", and "ONE WAY".
Historical NotesMiniature art piece of South Side houses by local artist Jim Allan. Jim Allan is a painter, sculptor, and animator. He taught for many years at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and ran an animation studio with fellow artist Philip Wilson. Allan met Wilson when they both were working at the Allegheny County graphics and print shop. They began working together in the early 1970s and produced animation work for local clients like “Dirty Girty” for the GASP campaign, which was a local advocacy organization, Group Against Smog and Pollution. In 1980, they formed an animation studio and working out of their Pleasant Hills location, they produced commercial animation at a national level, most notable the Tom Petty video “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and two animation shorts for… “Allison and the Magic Bubble” and “A Star for Jeremy”. “A Star for Jeremy” was the first feature-length animated television program produced completely in Pittsburgh, it debuted on Showtime in December of 1982. The studio began in Allan’s basement at 350 Mowry Street, the home, built in 1959, also happens to be the first home bomb shelter built in the United States before moving to 981 Walnut Street in Castle Shannon. Besides his art career, Allan provided a home for many teenage boys in the foster system, winning two Outstanding Citizen awards from the Post-Gazette. Allan grew up in Uniontown, but came to Pittsburgh to attend the Art Institute, graduating in 1964.
Related institution
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Related institution
Pittsburgh Steelers
Related institution
Pittsburgh Penguins
On View
Not on view
1999
