By George P. Hassett

With the roar of passing trains in the background, officials from the city and Tufts University came together inside the Davis Square T station on Tuesday morning to celebrate the unveiling of nine original works of art on the train platform.

The previously displayed art pieces were generic and gloomy with no connection to the community surrounding the station, said Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz who led the replacement efforts.

“In my view this is a historic day for Davis Square and Somerville,” she said in between the rumbling sounds of arriving and departing trains. “We now have a new gateway to our city that 10,00 people will see everyday.”

The idea to replace the old artwork came from David Dennis, a Tufts student who approached Gewirtz and told her, “We can do better,” according to Gewirtz. Gewirtz then organized a call for artists and, along with a jury made up of arts council members and local artists, selected nine winners from 200 submissions.

The winners were: David Aucoin, Laurinda Bedingfield, Ryan Klemek, Gregory Yantz, Simi Rabinowitz, Charles Marchany, Alice Grossman and Julie Furbush. Their work included portraits of the familiar in Somerville: streets lined with triple-decker homes, the statues of Statue Park and front yard Madonna’s.

“I want to thank the artists,” said Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow.

“You have contributed to our community by enriching the visual experience of everyone who passes by.”

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said the arts are an essential part of the city overall. ‚ÄúWe love the fact that we have the most artists per capita — only second to New York City — in this country. There are so many creative minds living and working here [and the installation] is a great way to say that we are proud of this asset,‚Äù he said.

Ryan Klemek, who lives in Somerville, worked from a photograph of his girlfriend, Vanessa Cheung, standing with two statues in Davis Square to paint his winning piece. “I always liked those statues. I tried to paint it as though she was one of them or they were like her and seeing what she sees,” he said.

Cheung said she was excited to have her likeness represented in the train station she takes every day. ‚ÄúI’m waiting for my first graffiti moustache,‚Äù she said.