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Truck Eating Bridge art past article was written before the new art was selected. The New art, Water Music by David Teeple, is being installed now. These are a few excerpts:

The Northampton Arts Council announced in May the selection of  Water Music by David Teeple as the artwork to replace Leland Johnston’s “Dream” Mural on the bridge entering Northampton. Following an open call for proposals, a selection committee selected Teeple’s artwork, which is currently under construction and will be installed by October 14, 2011.

And…

In his proposal he explains, “The Connecticut River symbolizes the sustainable and ever evolving nature of Western Massachusetts – one of the most politically, culturally and socially progressive communities in the country. A river is fluid and open. It is life itself. It nourishes us, offers a place for personal reflection, provides energy, cleanses and feeds us. Water is both feminine and masculine and embodies the possibility of living with social, political, economic and environmental balance.

And…

The railroad trestle over Route 9 will soon sport a new piece of sculpture and it is the epitome of a flowing work of art.

“Water Music” by Holyoke artistDavid Teeple will feature the long blue ribbon of the Connecticut River mounted on 18 stainless steel panels separated by spaces meant to invoke the railroad ties behind them. Teeple’s work is the winning entry in a competition sponsored by the Northampton Arts Council to replace the popular but aging “Dream” by Leland Johnston that has graced the trestle since 1991.

Teeple, 54, a Hampshire College graduate, divides his time between his Holyoke studio and New York. He was one of 28 artists to apply for the $20,000 grant to decorate the bridge, which is the last thing east-bound motorist see on Route 9 before coming into the heart of the city. Teeple said he tried to keep that aspect of the location in mind as he pondered a theme.

“I think it’s important not to see the bridge simply as a canvas to do my art on but as a way to engage with the community,” he said.

Water has been an important theme in Teeple’s work for more than 20 years, and he feels the Connecticut River symbolizes the dynamic nature of the Pioneer Valley.

While walking around town today I found a small sign with what a local resident thinks the art should look like: