Strike Up a Conversation with… a Sculpture?

Prepare for a unique experience at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden this spring, where you might find yourself striking up a conversation with… a sculpture?

Twenty-one “living” sculptures by the late Seward Johnson are strategically placed around the Garden, blending in with their surroundings and delighting Garden visitors. Created with a staggering attention to detail and a deliberate attempt to fool the eye, these sculptures depict people engaged in day-to-day activities. Also included in the exhibit are some of Johnson’s works that are based on works of art and famous people.

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Born in 1930, John Seward Johnson II was the grandson of one of the founders of Johnson & Johnson. Exposed to art and artists throughout his early life (his family was friends with Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz), Johnson attended the Forman School, a school for children with learning differences. (During his tenure there, Albert Einstein was an academic advisor.)

Johnson’s sculptures are found in private collections and public spaces around the world. One sculpture, Double Check (1982), depicting a businessman rifling through his briefcase, became famous after surviving the September 11 terrorist attacks.

As his interest in sculpture grew, Johnson realized that he was in a unique position – he could use his family’s money to help other sculptors. The Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, founded in 1974, became an incubator for sculpture, nurturing artists as they created new and exciting works and advanced artistic technologies. (Many of these advances were used to create the works on display in the Botanic Garden.) While the Institute no longer offers educational and technical programs, the Atelier seeks “to integrate sculpture into the fabric of everyday life and promote the appreciation of sculpture and public art…”

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Johnson’s sculptures are both familiar and foreign; they depict the mundane and the famous. From a family enjoying a picnic, as many of us do on a lovely spring day in the Garden, to the Mona Lisa, these sculptures are unexpected in the best way.

“Mr. Johnson’s unique sculptures exist in an exciting place between realism and fantasy,” said Patrick Newman, President and CEO at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. “Guests will find themselves taking a second look each time they encounter these lifelike art displays.”

According to Dena Lewis, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Public Relations Manager, witnessing people’s interactions with the sculptures has been a delight. “There’s one of a family swinging their child [Can We Dance Here, Mommy, 2018] that has people stopping to see if they are real people. Another is of a dad with a little girl on his shoulders (Hats Off, 2022], and it really has people doing double takes!”

Don’t miss out on Seward Johnson: Sculptures in the Garden, a unique exhibit running only until September 1. Pro tip: Be sure to bring your camera! After all, how many people can say that they got to take a selfie with the Mona Lisa?

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden