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| The Awakening |
| The Awakening by: J. Seward Johnson Jr. (not really written by me, I wrote it, but all the information is true, with the exception of his inspiration) It has been suggested or thought by many people that I should spend my time leisurely in my family fortune from the Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid profits, but I beg to differ. I have always wished my work to be praised, or at least viewed, by people from all over the world. I have been quite successful in placing my life-size statues in countries, but I believe the greatest accomplishment is the people flocking to see it from either other countries or from America while visiting the U.S. capital, Washington D.C.. Inspiration and Purpose The Awakening is a 70' aluminum sculpture emerging from the ground that I made in 1980. I like to think of it as a breakthrough for me. I even broke my usual style with this large scale sculpture, it�s definitely fantasy, not a day-to-day activity. My goal with this sculpture is to visually describe the grueling pressures of daily life and how the hard work that one does affects them. It�s more like relations with the �everyman,� than a religious piece as some would like to claim it to be. The man is kicking and scrambling in hopes of freeing himself from his dirt prison. It�s a deep piece and it aroused different responses, and I enjoy that. I do like to hear different responses, though. I have been well known to loiter around my pieces and make negative comments about them to hear the real opinion of the viewers. I love getting into the position where the fellow viewer defends the work to the hostile art critic, me. Location One thing I absolutely love is the location. Not only does the city bring in international visitors, it also brings a mood that contradicts the mood of the sculpture. I have placed it on permanent load to the U.S. Department of the Interior and I have made ongoing offers of giving it away to the city, but they are not interested. One reason I love the location would be the fact that it�s not the center of attention, and has even been described as a �quirky� attraction. Many buses, I�ve heard, go by Hain�s Point just to see my giant, which is just a wonderful thing. It can give them a brake from the tourist-clogged sites. Some people stumble upon it while getting lost, which perhaps if it�s not their first time getting lost, they can relate to the giant easily. The Threat In 1987, Congress allowed the sculpture to stay in it�s location until funds have been raised for a National Peace Garden. The garden will have plants that will form an olive branch. Even though the idea of a peace garden in D.C. has been ridiculed, I do not like the idea of it for another reason. It is to be built where my sculpture is, and they do not want it there because it does not exactly send the message they would like it to. Currently no word has been said about it, but I impatiently await the fate of my giant sculpture entitled The Awakening. ? |
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