Steel and Spirit: Southard’s Down the Line Arrives at ArtsQuest

Bethlehem-born artist unveils sculpture bridging memory and community.

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, October 6, 2025 – Bethlehem-born artist Chelsea Southard has been chosen as the featured artist for the 4th annual Sculpture at SteelStacks exhibition. Southard created a new work of public art, Down the Line, which ArtsQuest is thrilled to reveal on Thursday, October 9 at 4:30 p.m. outside the Bethlehem Visitor Center presented by Lehigh Valley Heath Network part of Jefferson Health.

Southard developed her creative style by examining ties to social groups and personal experiences in the industrial environment of the iconic Bethlehem Steel. She creates sculptures and sound art pieces that illustrate the natural growth of time and human evolution using materials like metal and glass. She has participated in artist residencies in Guatemala and other countries, and her artwork has been displayed at important international art festivals, including Burning Man. 

Down the Line has a solid foundation in Bethlehem’s industrial history. The sculpture’s title refers to the railroad tracks that Bethlehem Steel used to transfer materials throughout the world. The piece, made of 2-inch welded steel tube and painted with a rusted patina, was created to bring out the worn beauty of the SteelStacks while representing the connected paths of individual and community life. The work will also be available for purchase, offering collectors and community members a rare opportunity to own a piece deeply rooted in Bethlehem’s heritage. Those interested in purchasing the ‘Down the Line’ sculpture, please contact Lisa Harms at lharms@artsquest.org.

“’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,” said Southard. “This cascade of lines represents the changing trajectory of life, the geometry that emerges from the choices we make each day, every moment. With awareness of this ever-evolving shape that binds us, we can feel the vast interconnectedness between ourselves, those around us and those who came before. ‘Down the Line’ holds the strength of those past, perseverance for what is ahead, standing as a reminder to the greater structure that exists within and between us, without location, covering all distance and beyond time… moving and changing us… together, as one.”

Southard has been working professionally in metal fabrication and lighting design since 2014, creating large-scale sculptures, museum installations, and art productions throughout the United States. She attended Berklee College of Music and develops interactive multi-sensory art works combining sound and light. She continues to conserve her heritage through her work at the National Museum of Industrial History and ArtsQuest, where she organizes ongoing community programs. 

ArtsQuest invites the community to celebrate the unveiling of Down the Line and see how Southard’s work connects Bethlehem’s great history to its innovative future!