The city received a major birthday gift yesterday that includes a 20-foot steel and fiberglass sculpture named "Arch," a new symphonic work, artist-mentored programs for city teens and a print portfolio designed to appeal to collectors.

Together they make up Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary Arts Project, which was funded through a $1 million grant from The Heinz Endowments and curated by Thomas Sokolowski, director of The Andy Warhol Museum.

At the Endowments' Downtown offices yesterday, President Robert Vagt introduced Mr. Sokolowski as the "creative genius ... who has been the architect of this [project]."

Mr. Sokolowski said he sought expression that would convey "transformation through collaboration, and the arts being a part of that."

The first of the four projects will be a public sculpture titled "Transformer" and named "Arch," by Los Angeles artist Glenn Kaino (currently exhibiting at The Warhol). It will be erected at the end of August in the Cultural District at Seventh Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

"Transformer," which will include design elements that resemble girders and brackets of Pittsburgh bridges, combines the popular culture aspects of the Transformer toys with those of monuments like the Statue of Liberty and the Colossus of Rhodes. It's expected to remain in place for six months or so, or at least through the end of the yearlong 250 celebration.

On Oct. 17 at Heinz Hall, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will premiere "The Good Life" by composer Derek Bermel. Inspired by Pittsburgh's immigrant experience, both past and current, its text emanates from stories gathered in city neighborhoods. The work features the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and singers Hila Plitmann and Kevin Deas, and Leonard Slatkin conducts. It was written by poet Wendy Walters of the African-American poetry collective Cave Canem.

Another project, modeled on President Franklin Roosevelt's 1930s Works Progress Administration, will bring local artists and youth together at 10 sites served by YouthPlaces, a 12-year-old organization that offers after-school programs in economically struggling neighborhoods. Later this month, a call for artist proposals will go out, and activities will begin in the fall with the goal of creating new works that the young artists will exhibit and perform in and on the city's premier museums and stages.

Finally, 12 highly regarded international artists will create a museum-quality print portfolio that will be exhibited at The Warhol early in 2009. The artists will work in residence at Artists Image Resource on the North Side, and the portfolio theme, "If Halley's Comet Failed to Show," raises the question of what would happen if "everything that we were sure of didn't work anymore," Mr. Sokolowski said.

Participating artists/teams are Kay Rosen, Chicago; Takashi Murakami, Tokyo; Rosemarie Trockel, Cologne (exhibiting in the 2008 Carnegie International); Alfredo Jaar, New York; Daniel Martinez, Los Angeles; Piotr Uklanski, Warsaw and New York; Langlands & Bell, London; Mark Tansey, New York; Isaac Julien, London; Lari Pittman, Los Angeles; Delanie Jenkins, Pittsburgh; and John Ritter, Ligonier.