The Energy Innovation Center is all about historic preservation and sustainability. The work of local artist Cory Bonnet is a perfect application of this: historic images placed on repurposed materials. Bonnet paints contemporary nostalgic scenes of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area using salvaged and reclaimed materials. His commitment to historical preservation and sustainability made him a perfect fit for using space in the Energy Innovation Center, a LEED Platinum building that combines the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency with historical preservation.

We are proud to have Cory’s studio on our tower fifth floor. He would be honored to show you his creations by appointment in compliance with COVID restrictions. Please contact Elizabeth Harrison (eharrison@pghgateways.org) to inquire about studio visits or to arrange for a Zoom session or call with Cory.  See the attached newsletter to explore five examples of Cory’s Heritage Legacy commissions, and scroll down to learn more about Cory.

Cory’s Newsletter: Heritage Legacy

About Cory Bonnet: For twenty years, Cory Bonnet has been transforming salvaged materials into works of fine art. Doors, church pews, tables, work-shop shelving, steel mill casting molds and even Civic Arena Dome Panels are transformed into masterpieces by the hands of this Pittsburgh artist.

“There’s an immediate connection to the material,” says Bonnet. “Before I put a brush to it, there is already a story, character – history locked in the materials. I just bring it forward.” From his new studio on the 5th floor of Pittsburgh Gateway’s Energy Innovation Center, Bonnet is creating a narrative around historic preservation and sustainability.

“All this stuff has a story,” he says,  pointing out a panel made from 100-year-old church pews. “These weren’t mass produced. Each pew was custom made for the church. You can see the care that went into them. This is the work of a master. That’s what I want to preserve.”

In addition to the work he does to fill his studio and Strip District Gallery, there is a high demand for Bonnet’s commissioned works. He takes family heirlooms – tables, doors, salvaged building materials from demolished homesteads and sold properties – and uses those to create a memory to hang on his client’s wall.

Sts. Peter and Paul Church East Liberty, 2019