Have You Seen The People Sculptures In Downtown Spring Lake ?
The Seward Johnson sculptures are back in downtown Spring Lake, and they are as amazing as ever! According to his Wiki page, Johnson, who died back in 2020, designed life-size bronze statues that were castings of living people, depicting them engaged in day-to-day activities. A large staff of technicians did the fabrication of the works he designed. Computers and digital technology often were used in the manufacturing process. He was the founder of the famous Grounds For Sculpture, a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton Township.
Prepare yourself if you’ve never seen a Seward Johnson sculputure!
There are a total of 16 Seward Johnson sculptures, and everyone of them will take your breath away. the intricacy and attention to every detail is incredible. Accordingly, may not only fool you from a distance into thinking they are real people, but some of their “actions” may give you a laugh as well. There’s a lady walking her dog (yes, also a sculpture), a hot dog vender, a man sleeping on a bench and more!
It’s fun to try and find the sculptures along the downtown.
This week I tagged along with our Marketing Director, Jackie Farago as she drove into Spring Lake to stop and grab some lunch at Tom Bailey’s deli. That’s when I got the idea! While Jackie ordered her food, I strolled up and down 3rd Avenue, or as I like to call it, Main Street USA. I snapped shot after shot of these unbelievable creations. The Modern Art stretches along 3rd Avenue, from the lake to the library. Hence, if you go, be sure to look down the side streets for more of the sculptures.
If you like this exhibit, there’s a lot more to explore!
If you get inspired by the Seward Johnson sculptures in Spring Lake, you may want to check out a couple of places not too far away. First is the aforementioned Grounds For Sculpture. You can learn more, and plan your trip by visiting http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/ . If that gets you even more into the whole sculpture game, might I suggest a weekend trip up the Garden State Parkway to the New York Thruway to visit the village of New Windsor, New York, and the Storm King Art Center. It’s a trip! In fact, some edibles might not be a bad idea! You can get more info and plan a trip there at their website, https://stormking.org/ .
Hurry, time is running out to see the Spring Lake exhibit.
The Seward Johnson Spring Lake exhibit runs through the end of January, 2023, so be sure and make some time for a little holiday shopping in Spring Lake as an excuse to check it out! You can find out more and see a map of the sculptures at https://www.springlake.org/sewardjohnson .
