This piece was inspired by India Blake Johnson’s book of poetry and photography. Johnson’s work throughout his career, of which this is a late example, often highlights stillness as much as they do movement. In Captured ,its subject has an alert stillness reading its book. The stillness conveyed here asks the viewer to notice its presence, to slow down and contemplate what you are seeing. We invite you to peek over the reader’s shoulder to read the poem she has been caught reading, or perhaps join her on the bench. Does the poem she is reading speak to you? If you were to write a poem, what around you now would inspire you?

Seward Johnson had a prolific sense of humor that comes across in some of his sculptures via his attention to detail. Can you find something specific on this sculpture? What detail would you add if you created this sculpture?

Father and son spending the day fishing, sharing in the thrill of the first catch. Looks like a big one! Make sure you take notice of the supplies they have in their tacklebox.

Man’s best friend is always loyal and yet sometimes needs extra encouragement. In Johnson’s “Celebrating the Familiar” sculpture, the Labrador Retriever lovingly looks up at his owner and doesn’t even notice the Frisbee several yards away. You can see the young man gesturing and explaining that the dog should go fetch, but the canine just gazes loyally at his master. The sculpture was cast in 1990 and has many fun details to discover, especially for animal lovers. The tongue is always irresistible to touch!

This is a remarkable take on the famous Rosie the Riveter image which honored the women working in the factories on the home front during World War II. There is now an annual Rosie Day where people dress in the iconic kerchief, red lipstick and jumpsuit to celebrate these women.

A painter all his life, Seward Johnson began sculpting in 1968. Since then, he has gained international renown for his highly realistic, life-sized bronze figures depicting day-to-day life situations and activities. Sometimes these works even provoke a double take and a momentary fool of the eye. This piece,
created as an homage to Claude Monet (1840-1926) painting “Terrace at Sainte-Adresse,” was originally
entitled “Copyright Violation.” The bronze figure has since been shown "painting" other inspired scenes in an "art imitating life" scenario. Here in Rockefeller Gardens, Monet captures a scene overlooking the Halifax River.

Fun fact: This piece was originally commissioned for the grand opening of the famous Giorgio building in the heart of Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive, its creator immortalized on the tote bag.

Did you see the paperback copy of Rear Window in the washer's back pocket? Let’s have a movie night tonight and watch the Alfred Hitchcock classic. When Seward Johnson was making the work, knowing that what he was creating had multiple meanings meant that everyone could bring their own story to the work.

This sculpture features Seward Johnson’s incorporation of our connections with animals and how they can serve in furthering relationships between people. Here the bunny brings the two humans together in a caring task. Their pet rabbit’s fur, though bronze, evokes a visceral silkiness and the gentle rapport between the older girl and the little boy is quite evident.

A portrait of a picnic in the making! This sculpture allows the artist to feature some wonderfully realistic food items as he visually describes an afternoon outing in a meadow or beside a stream where this woman might share a meal with her friend, family or paramour.

Reflect on this moment captured in time that symbolizes the joy felt at the end of the war. Well-known for celebrating everyday life with vividly realistic sculpture, Johnson steps back in time with Embracing Peace, to pay homage to the veterans of World War II. This artwork honors the memory of the past, reminding us of the sacrifice of a nation, and awakens a younger generation to a turning point in our nation’s history.

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​Seward Johnson has stated, “I wanted to evoke a time of unity, a time without the divisiveness of today. The moment captured in the work encapsulates the spirit of having fought a successful campaign defending human rights, our shared values and that celebrates peace.”

In order to melt the silicon bronze used in casting, ingots (cast bars) are placed in a crucible and heated in a furnace to between 1,900 and 2,150 degrees. It then becomes a pourable liquid, ready to be poured into the mold. Seven separate molds were used to cast this particular figure. Can you tell where the seams are? What do you think this girl is doing?

Sometimes Johnson’s pieces function as models, or “sign posts” for recommendations such as sitting on a park bench reading a good book, or taking a nap. In this case, the woman sitting alone but comfortable gives passers-by a feeling of ease, as if to say, “If she can sit here, then I can sit here too.”