Appalachian Duo

Charleston, West Virginia, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

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Two 16-foot concrete sculptures of a banjo player and a fiddler by Pittsburgh sculptor James Simon, at the Summers Street entrance to City Center at Slack Plaza in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. Installed in December 2021.

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Appalachian Duo

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Site-level location · 38.3517° N, 81.6352° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Two bright concrete musicians, each 16 feet tall, were installed in December 2021 at the Summers Street entrance to Charleston's downtown plaza, one with a banjo and one with a fiddle.

The pair is called Appalachian Duo by their maker, Pittsburgh sculptor James Simon, who lists them as 2021 work commissioned by the City of Charleston. He describes them as two colorful sculptures created in clay and cast in concrete, forming an entryway to Slack Plaza and paying tribute to the Appalachian music and culture of the region. WSAZ reported in December 2021 that a third, smaller figure, a dog, was placed beside the banjo player.

Simon told WSAZ that each figure is modeled in clay, then plaster molds are made and the pieces are cast in concrete, a process of about four months per sculpture. He said he had been listening to a lot of Appalachian music while making them, which helped shape their look. At the time he had been making large sculptures for around 25 years.

The sculptures arrived before the plaza was finished. WSAZ reported in December 2021 that material delays and supply-chain problems had pushed the opening back and that passers-by on Summers Street could already see them. The City of Charleston formally opened City Center at Slack Plaza on 12 April 2022, an investment of more than $3.5 million between Laidley and Summers streets, according to WV MetroNews, which described the Summers Street entrance sculptures as three chromatic works meant to showcase Appalachian heritage.

The plaza has a performing stage with canopy, bubbler fountain, swings and bistro tables. In 2025 the city dedicated another artwork on the plaza's living wall, a stainless steel and glass piece called Riverflow.

The figures were placed outdoors at a city plaza, at the Summers Street entrance. The plaza was still hosting city events in May 2025, when the city dedicated Riverflow.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Outdoor public sculptures at a downtown city plaza; they were installed at the Summers Street entrance. The plaza also has a performance stage, fountain, swings and seating, according to WV MetroNews in April 2022.

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At the Summers Street entrance of City Center at Slack Plaza, downtown Charleston, West Virginia, a public plaza between Laidley and Summers streets. A public plaza owned by the City of Charleston.

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Hallelujah

Charleston, West Virginia

Hallelujah is a 2009 abstract sculpture by Albert Paley in the front plaza of the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston, West Virginia. Paley's studio gives it as 68 feet high, in weathering steel, stainless steel and bronze.

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0.6 km away

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