- November 26, 2024
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The Ormond Beach Arts District wants to bring a sculpture tour to the downtown next fall.
A longtime mission of the district — who works closely with Ormond MainStreet — has been aiming to bring public art to Ormond Beach. When attending a MainStreet conference in spring of 2022, Ormond MainStreet executive director Becky Parker discovered artist Seward Johnson's sculptures. Parker, who is the president of the Ormond Beach Arts District board, said she thought the artist's sculptures were something cool and different.
"I think it obviously goes in line with Ormond MainStreet's desire to enliven the district and to create new experiences for people," Parker said. "This is really awe-inspiring. This is really going to make people stop and want to spend time looking and being curious, and that's really what we want. We want to create that kind of vibrancy in the district."
The arts district is hoping to host at least 10 of Johnson's sculptures to town, said Judith Stein, vice president of the arts district board. The plan is to place the sculptures outdoors for public interaction for about six months.
But for that, the arts district needs at least 10 individual sponsors.
"We don't have a price set yet," Stein said. "We have to figure it out — how much it's going to cost to bring it here exactly."
Stein recently traveled to the Seward Johnson Atelier in New Jersey to get a closer look at the sculptures. She was impressed.
"They're just so evocative," Stein said. "Some of them are just interesting, because you don't know if they're real people or not. Others, they tell a story."
Johnson, who died in 2020, created over 1,200 sculptures in his lifetime. Known for his life-size hyper-realistic bronze sculptures, his works are exhibited worldwide and have been touring since the 1960s. Lynn Declemente Losavio, program officer at the Seward Johnson Atelier, said Johnson believed in the idea of connectivity through art.
"When I place these artworks, I really try to talk to the community and see what their goals are and what they want to amplify," Losavio said. "So these artworks take a life of their own in every community they go into, and they are kind of like catalysts for whatever the community wants their story to be."
Ormond Beach City Commissioner Lori Tolland, who serves as the city's liaison on the Ormond MainStreet board, said that when Stein spoke to her about the sculpture tour, she thought it was a great idea.
"Why not beautify our city and share art from other places within our city?" Tolland said. "... I think it would be fun for the city and maybe attract a little bit of outside curiosity from other towns."
Art in public spaces elevates residents' quality of life, she said.
The Seward Johnson Atelier strives to keep Johnson's legacy alive by continuing to exhibit his works. Some communities fall in love with his sculptures so much, Losavio said, that they bring a tour back every year or every two years.
Other communities go on to create their own arts program, modeled after what the atelier does.
"I feel like that's what we try to do because it just seems so overwhelming sometimes, and a lot of people don't know what artwork is durable for outside or how to keep works installed outside and maintained properly," Losavio said. "And we do, so we try to also help give guidelines and show how it can be done in a successful way."
The sculptures may be placed on public or private property, depending on the sponsor, who will also receive recognition.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a sculpture should reach out to Stein via email at [email protected] or by calling 386-871-2378.
