The late sculptor Seward Johnson II created life-size works of art that are still impacting people today.
Now, he is being celebrated for the life he lived and the life-size sculptures he created through a year-long art project that is already underway honoring his life and work.
The art project called “Seward Johnson | Celebrating the Everyday” is the product and idea of a partnership between the Hopewell Valley (HV) Arts Council and Seward Johnson Atelier.
“Seward Johnson was an amazing human being. He did so many good things in the world and was so funny,” said Carol Lipson, acting executive director of the HV Arts Council.
“Unfortunately, he died in 2020 right when the COVID-19 pandemic started, so we really have not had a chance to celebrate his life and the amazing person he was.”
Johnson, who passed away at the age of 89, has had his sculptures exhibited and installed nationwide and internationally in places such as Berlin, Germany, Madrid, Spain and Italy.
The Arts Council seeks to bring 14 of Johnson’s life-size bronze sculptures to Hopewell Valley that would be placed throughout the valley for a six-month exhibit.
“We have identified high visibility locations in Hopewell Borough, Pennington, Titusville, and Hopewell Township. Five of them are targeted to be at each of the school campuses,” Lipson said.
The first goal of the project is to raise $17,500. This will allow the Arts Council to bring five of Johnson’s bronze sculpture works from “Celebrating the Familiar” and locate them on school grounds in the district between Timberlane Middle School [TMS] and Hopewell Valley Central High School [HVCHS] campus, and at Hopewell Elementary, Bear Tavern Elementary, Tollgate Elementary, and Stony Brook Elementary.
“This particular exhibition ‘Celebrating Everyday’ are works pulled from Seward’s ‘Celebrating the Familiar,’” said Lynn DeClemente Losavio, program officer at Seward Johnson Atelier, noting “Celebrating the Familiar” are people doing mundane moments in life.
Johnson’s “Keep Life in Balance” sculpture will be placed between TMS and HVCHS; “There Now You Can Grow” will be placed at Hopewell Elementary; “Follow the Leader” will be placed at Bear Tavern, “My World” will be placed on the grounds of Toll Gate; and “Can We Dance Here, Mommy?” will be installed at Stony Brook.
“When you stop and really look at the life-size individual pieces, they all have their own activity and go a little bit deeper,” Losavio said, adding all 14 pieces will be Seward Johnson artwork.
The HV Arts Council hopes to raise enough money bring all 14 life-size sculptures to Hopewell Valley. It will cost about $4,300 a statue, or about $50,000 to $60,000.
“[The] cost covers specialists that come to install the statutes, liability insurance, damage insurance, ongoing project management support and marketing support and making as many events free as possible,” Lipson said.
The proposed plan at each of the 14 sculptures are immersive and sensory activities that will be both self-guided and group led.
Additionally, Johnson’s “The Awakening,” which is a 70-foot-wide aluminum sculpture, will be installed this year at the D&R Greenway’s St. Michaels Preserve in Hopewell Township.
“The Awakening” will be on display for 1 1/2 years.
“When we install the piece, we [will] have excavation and wood chips brought in,” Losavio said, noting the wood chips would be installed in an organic manner and a walking trail may be added by mowing.
The opening ceremony for “Activation of the Awakening” is scheduled for May 21.
The HV Arts Council are planning a number of fundraising events and activities throughout the year including poetry readings, concerts and sing-alongs, sculpture hunt, explorer guides, scratch mold/painted tray workshops, community art project, selfie contest, and guest speaker talks.
“Art makes us all better people, talk to other people and makes people come out of their homes. Hopefully by doing this we will all appreciate the ‘mundane things about life’ more,” Lipson said.
Timeline
From January to mid-April, the Arts Council is getting the word out to the community and conducting fundraising events and activities to bring in all 14 sculptures to the Valley.
“We will know by the middle of April if we are going to have enough money for all of these statues and do all the things that we want. We are going to have to tweak it based on the amount of funding we get,” Lipson said.
The first of the fundraisers is set for March 2.
“It is a behind the scenes tour of the Atelier that Lynn will be giving,” Lipson said. “On that tour you will be able to see all of the mega giant statues that are in [the Atelier] being prepared to go out. ‘The Awakening’ will [also] be prepped to go out.”
Come May 21, there will be the unveiling ceremony for ‘The Awakening’ at the St. Michaels Preserve.
“All through the summer and fall will be a series of artful activities such as workshops and concerts all around the different statues,” Lipson said.
The celebration closes out with Community of Arts, an art show at The Pennington School.
“[The art show will be comprised of] all of the people that Seward Johnson mentored at the Atelier that still live in Hopewell Valley,” Lipson said.
For more information about the year-long art project celebrating Seward Johnson II, visit www.hvartscouncil.org.