SCS’s new facility, named the Larimer Education and Squash Center, will display the artwork on the exterior of the building. The artwork will combine ceramic tiles and paint in a design to honor the spirit of the Larimer neighborhood and the programmatic mission of SCS. Steel City Squash envisioned its new home to be designed and built as a local and national destination facility that will create multiple revenue streams to support its program, facilitate multicultural engagement, and contribute to long-term sustainability.
Alecia Dawn Young is an artist, scholar, and founder of the creative wellness studio YOGAMOTIF. She believes that generating art and life are connected and invests her time in people, projects, and communities that explore these practices. Her work is grounded in the collective healing of Black m/others and embodied making that supports mental health. Alecia’s career spans a commitment to community arts education and wellness, rooted in making, teaching, and researching in the visual arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University where she focused on 3-dimensional studies in wood, metal, and ceramic arts. After teaching in non-profit and public education for five years, Alecia obtained a Master of Arts Management from the H. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon University. She is currently a practicing ceramic artist and Ph.D. student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education.
In 2014, Steel City Squash introduced urban squash to Pittsburgh. The organization was founded by Talbott Simonds and Tim Wyant, who partnered to establish Steel City Squash with help from the Hillman Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, and the University of Pittsburgh. This program joined the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA) as its 19th member in 2015 and continues to support the community through education, mentoring, community service, travel and the sport of squash. Since its inception, Steel City Squash continues to inspire and motivate students from 4th through 11th grade to excel academically and envision their future by providing consistent and long term support to students and their families to achieve their postsecondary goals, all while exposing them to the culture of the sport of squash.
