Student art project ‘The Hulton’ bridges old with new in Riverview

Sculpture will stand outside art department

What began as an idea for a piece of jewelry led to an innovative concept for a major piece of artwork at Riverview Junior-Senior High School in Oakmont.

It was three years ago, in the midst of the construction of a new four-lane Hulton Bridge to replace its 107-year-old predecessor, that a student in Glenn Garrison’s high school art class suggested it would be cool to use remnants of the old steel bridge after its implosion to create rings or other types of small jewelry.

But because the layers of leadbased paint on the steel, as well as rust, Mr. Garrison determined that couldn’t be done. Still, he pondered a project using pieces of the landmark.

Mr. Garrison and his students began designing what turned out to be a 56-by-8-foot sculpture dubbed “The Hulton” that bridges the old and new by utilizing the historic pier stones that supported the former bridge with new steel beams erected atop the stones.

Each piece will be topped with a curved aluminum sheet with wave designs cut in so that when the sun shines down, it will cast a river-like shadow below.

It will stand outside the art department on the junior-senior high school campus near the bridge.

“I think it’s important for the art education department, but even more so for the community,” Mr. Garrison said. “The community comes to the school and will continue to come to the school. We