Community Art Exhibition Reflects on Old Frank J. Wood Bridge

A new exhibition at Curtis Memorial Library will invite Brunswick and Topsham residents to remember and reflect on the Frank J. Wood Bridge, which connected the two towns for nearly a century. Titled "Light on the Bridge," the non-juried show will be on display Jan. 4 through Jan. 30, 2026, and includes more than 40 submissions from community members, students and professional artists.

The timing follows the opening of a replacement span in mid-December 2025, a development that has prompted ongoing community conversations about the old bridge's future and its place in local memory. Organizers say the exhibit aims to create an accessible setting for those conversations by presenting a wide range of visual responses to the bridge, including work by contributors as young as 7 years old.

Artwork in the exhibition spans drawings, photographs, paintings and mixed-media pieces, reflecting diverse perspectives on the bridge as an engineering landmark, a neighborhood gathering point and a personal or intergenerational touchstone. As a public-library show, the exhibition places that dialogue in a civic venue where residents across income levels and ages can gather without a formal admissions barrier.

Brunswick Public Art is also planning a related public-sculpture project that would incorporate recycled steel from the old span, to be installed near the entrance of the new bridge. That proposal underscores an emphasis on material reuse and local stewardship, offering both symbolic continuity and an environmentally conscious response to the transition between structures.

Beyond commemorative value, the exhibition and proposed sculpture carry public health and social equity implications. Community art events can support collective grieving and social cohesion, strengthening the informal networks that protect mental health. Placing the show in a public library supports equitable access to cultural resources, giving students, seniors and working families opportunities to engage with civic history without cost barriers.

For residents of Sagadahoc County, "Light on the Bridge" will be a chance to see how neighbors and local artists interpret a shared landmark, to bring children and students into civic conversations, and to consider how reclaimed material from the old bridge might be transformed into a new public asset. The display will be available for viewing at Curtis Memorial Library Jan. 4 through Jan. 30, 2026.