Chosen as the featured artist for the fourth annual “Sculpture at SteelStacks,” Bethlehem-born artist Chelsea Southard explained the inspiration for her “Down the Line” sculpture:

“‘Down the Line’ is an etymological reference used for location and distance on a railway, Bethlehem Steel’s primary method of transport both in and out of the plant, now more commonly used as a measure of time.

“This cascade of lines represents the changing trajectory of life, the geometry that emerges from the choices we make each day, every moment.”

“Down the Line” (2025; 2-inch welded steel tube painted with a black patina) is on view outside the 1863 Stock House, said to be the oldest building on the SteelStacks site and which is home to the Visitor Center - Bethlehem.

“These sculptures tell stories, our stories about creativity, about community and about the power of art to transform the spaces we share,” said ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilbert at the sculpture’s Oct. 9 unveiling at the Visitor Center - Bethlehem, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health.

Also attending: ArtsQuest Director of Education and Outreach Lisa Harms.

The National Museum of Industrial History partnered with ArtsQuest for the “Steel Weekend” event.

Southard attended Liberty High School, Bethlehem Area School District; Northampton Community College as an art and philosophy major, and received a bachelor of music in 2014 from Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Her interactive multi-sensory art works combine sound and light: “Everything I do has a sonic element to it,” she said. “Down the Line” has individual tones when gently played with a rubber hammer.

Southard shares studio space at her father’s Hanover Township carpentry shop and has a studio in Mexico.

“Down the Line,” on view through October 2026, Visitor Center, 711 E. First St., Bethlehem. Information: 610-332-1300; https://www.artsquest.org/

“Gallery View” is a column about artists, exhibitions and galleries. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com