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Bridge Art at the Truck Eating Bridge

by: CB

I live in Northampton Ma or Paradise City we like to call it and we have many art in public places. The official entrance of Paradise City on northbound rt 9 at Market Street is a low hanging bridge. We affectionate call it the Truck Eating Bridge. Why? Well because about 4-5 times a year a semi truck gets eaten by it. How does a truck get eaten by a bridge? Hmmmm..the driver of the truck does not know how high the truck he is driving or can’t read the 11 foot low clearance sign. This low hanging bridge has had art installed on it for years and its time for a replacement.

So our town held a contest to see who can add to our historic entrance. Noho said: A gateway into the City will be the site of a new piece of public art to welcome people to Northampton. In recent years, Bob Reckman, Ward 3 City Councilor and the members of the neighborhood opened discussions about the care and maintenance of the “Dream” mural, installed on the east side of the railroad bridge over Rte 9 funded by the Northampton Arts Council in 1991. It is in poor shape and cannot be repaired. Leland Johnston, the artist who created it, believes it is time for something new in that location. Most of us are looking forward to this new art to be installed in Northampton not far from Midnighson Designs office. The town went on to say: The cost to refurbish the mural was staggering and three groups or individuals expressed their interest in funding a replacement. The first was a donor who prefers to remain anonymous. The second was Chartpak, Inc a Leeds based company that sells a wide range of art supplies and had been looking for a way to contribute to the local arts scene and the City. In addition to money they are happy to contribute any of their products that could be used at no cost. The third group was the newly created Business Improvement District (BID). Reckman, working together with Mayor Clare Higgins, brought the project to the Northampton Arts Council. Only five finalists were selected from the 16 entries received. And here they are:

J. Seth Hoffman, Penn Ruderman and Meera Deean suggest screening the width of the railroad bridge with a rigid translucent sculpture, depicting a realistic draped curtain.”It will soften views of the tops of downtown buildings, heightening a sense of expectation and discovery. It will subtly reveal the heavy steel infrastructure beneath it. It will capture daylight, and glow on sunny days, an arresting image that will cause one to pause before completing the passage into downtown.”

Tim Fisher is a Bridge Street School Parent and School Committee Board Member for Ward 3. He worked with Jackie Coe, a Bridge Street School art teacher. “Our project consists of the letters of the word “Welcome” fixed across the length of the railroad bridge. The shape of each letter and the visual art work painted on it will be designed by the fifth grade class at Bridge Street School.

Sam Ostroff and Salmon Studios propose “Essence of Northampton Captured in Metal”. The proposed installation will be a forced perspective metal collage of the iconic downtown skyline that lies just beyond the underpass. Sculpted steel and stainless steel layers of pedestrians in crosswalks, bicyclists, trees and even hot air balloons will fill the spaces between the background layer of buildings, creating a vivid collage of silhouettes and shapes.

Ben Westbrook and Matt Lorenz intend the construction of an emblematic phoenix for the railroad bridge in Northampton. This bird will be made of fabricated steel and powder-coated for durability and color. The story of the mythological Phoenix started in Egypt, a place where rebirth has long played a significant role in defining the culture. “We find strong correlations between this hopeful and magical story, and our current state of affairs, both locally and globally. We take inspiration from ideas of rebirth and renewal as we move forward into the 21st century.”

Peggy Grose, an artist from Ashfield, Massachusetts proposes “The Heart of Northampton”, a multi-media installation consisting of representational depictions of the people who define the quintessential nature of the city by the very act of dwelling in and inhabiting the vibrant downtown area for which the city is most well-known by. “All of the inherent mass movement and it’s juxtaposed stillness and solitary nature will be distilled in a pictorial “snapshot” of the life and times (i.e. “The Heart”) of our city in a vision transcending the “pedestrian” nature of the subject matter and elevating it to an artistic distillation of the city’s everyday reality.”

By the looks of the schedule the construction should have begun by August 1, 2010. Nothing yet. I don’t know at this writing who is the winner but I will plug this: The Bird of Fire because of our neighborhood brush with fire.