Today’s Talk of the Day isn’t about a story. It’s about a picture. Of artwork. Specifically, a new sculpture that’s been installed by The Gateway Foundation just south of the intersection of Truman Parkway and I-44 in the Lafayette Square neighborhood.

The pictures here of the new installation were taken by my colleague here a the Post-Dispatch, Laurie Skrivan. (Here’s a photo gallery that shows different views of the new sculpture.)

The installation replaces a temporary piece by Bernar Venet (pictured at the bottom of this post).

The new one is called “Treemonisha,” designed by by world-renowned sculptor John Henry of Tennessee, who creates large steel structures that have been compared to rectangular line drawings.

This piece is 81 feet high, approximately 35 feet wide. It weighs 40,00 pounds.

If you check the Regional Arts Council’s web site, you can find a great catalog of public art around the region. In my experience, nobody is neutral about public art. You see a piece and you have a reaction to it.

Are you that way?

What do you think of the latest installation pictured here? Do you like it more or less than the temporary installation by Bernar Venet that it is replacing?

How about public art in general? Does it have a place? What purpose does it serve?