On First Night, Citiparks pulled a whopper out of its creel -- a 6-foot-tall, 10-foot-long sunfish.

The portable sculpture, built by Gibsonia artist Sandy Kessler and unveiled at the city's New Year's Eve celebration, is intended to help teach Pittsburgh kids about the Three Rivers and what lives there. It will be used in various environmental outreach and after-school programs.

Constructed from foam and covered in a hard coating, Kessler said her catch of the day is durable enough to serve as an outdoor display, yet "scale-able" enough to hitch a ride on Citipark's Roving Art Cart. The blue-green sunfish is 32 inches wide to fit through doors, and divides into three pieces for easy movement.

"Kids can touch it, knock on it. I chose materials that -- this could be an outdoor piece of sculpture as it is," said Kessler. "We thought we wanted something we could use to teach kids about the environment, and at the same time teach them about the rivers here. These are some of the most underserved, most struggling kids in the region. These are kids who aren't going to be taken fishing for the day. We wanted to give them something that would say, 'Hey! Pay attention.' "

Kessler has worked on other public art projects including a mural for The Sprout Fund and two murals on display in Millvale. She recently had a solo exhibit at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.