Katie Ford’s recent project, Ramble League, uses the intimate, co-working experience of a tandem bicycle ride as the start for conversations with local artists. Ford is an artist and printmaker exploring social and spatial relationships. She moved to Pittsburgh in 2012, intrigued by its emergent cultural scene and what she senses is a “collective momentum” of artistic growth. Ford invites participating artists to plan a bike route based on places that resonate with their work— whether through personal, historical, or conceptual significance.

Ford will chronicle the ongoing project through short video features at RambleLeague.com.  Over time, the accumulation of this documentation will form an evolving portrait of Pittsburgh’s artist community.

Says Ford, “With this open format and irregular context, we invite chance encounters and unplanned interactions. Tandem biking demands communication, trust, and a surrendering of control—as do great conversations. It will be humble and candid, equalizing and intimate.”

The Awesome Pittsburgh grant is being used to obtain the equipment necessary to make the bike road-ready and to document each ride. As co-founding trustee Mike Capsambelis explains, “We loved this because it starts with a great conversation – an artist discussing their work – and takes it on location around the city in such a unique and elegant way: on a bicycle built for two.”

You can also follow Ramble League at its Tumblr site.