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In pursuit of its mission, the Auburn Arts Commission, Inc. is organizing an extensive arts education and appreciation project around the works of world-renowned sculptor J. Seward Johnson. Sculpture on the Square will begin with education components for school children and adults in the spring of 2007 and will culminate with the exhibit of life size bronze sculptures in and around downtown Auburn. The exhibit will include 20 pieces and will be installed in Auburn for three months beginning June 15, 2007 and ending September 15, 2007. This schedule will allow local residents ample time to explore the works during the summer and also provide a significant event during the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.
J. Seward Johnson is an American sculptor whose uncannily realistic figures capture human gestures in bronze. His life size sculptures, many sporting colored clothing, reveal the everyday details of ordinary citizens down to their crumpled brown bags and untied shoelaces. They portray carpenters, businesswomen, and students, engaged in such activities as talking on a park bench, leaving a tennis court, or simply scratching their backs.
Johnson’s works “celebrate the familiar.” Over 200 of his life-size cast-bronze statues have been featured in private collections and museums throughout the world. Extremely successful exhibits of his works have been held recently in Troy, Ohio and Lansing, MI. These exhibits attracted thousands of visitors to those cities.
By bringing this exhibit to DeKalb County, the Auburn Arts Commission, Inc. will provide an opportunity for both residents and visitors to appreciate and explore visual art in a significant and accessible way.
Bronze casting is becoming a lost art. Due to the complexity of the process and the dangers in the actual casting, few schools of fine art even teach this ancient art form. This exhibit will offer a unique opportunity for both professionals and local residents to learn about this technique. This project will also provide a forum for examining the role and importance of public art in the life of a community.
The actual exhibit of Johnson’s work will run for three months, but the overall project will include activities both before and after the show.
The Auburn Arts Commission, Inc. has established three primary goals for the Sculptures on the Square project. They are:
- To provide an opportunity for area residents to see an exhibit of bronze sculpture and to explore visual art in a significant and accessible way
- To offer arts education and appreciation activities to children in all area schools as well as to adults in the community.
- To promote economic development and increase tourism in DeKalb County
The arts and humanities promote forms of thinking that allow us to deal with ambiguity and complexity, to treat situations flexibly and to form imaginative responses. These creative skills are essential for our nation's 21st century workforce. With an economy that is ever more knowledge-based and global, our competitive strength depends on the imagination and innovation of our industries and institutions. Arts and humanities education is also critical to our increasingly multi-cultural, global society. Exposure to the arts and humanities can help us understand other perspectives, change personal behavior, and foster greater awareness of others' needs and aspirations.
A major component of this project will be the educational opportunities it will offer local residents. The partners in this project will be working to offer a wide variety of learning experiences to elementary and secondary students in the County as well as activities geared to adults of all interests and visitors to our community.
Several educational opportunities are currently being discussed. These include:
- An introduction to basic sculpture for elementary school children
- Hands-on activities for children in school as well as during the summer
- Programs at Butler, Eckhart, Garrett and Waterloo libraries
- Materials to assist teachers in presenting the project and ways they can meet Indiana State Standards for the visual arts
- Volunteer-led docent tours of the exhibition
- Lectures and programs throughout the exhibit discussing various aspects of sculpture and the impact of public art on the community
A project of the scope and importance of Sculptures on the Square will bring visitors to DeKalb County from all over the Mid-West region. The exhibit will attract art lovers as well as families looking for something interesting and different to do on a weekend outing. Since the project will be widely promoted through area and regional travel and tourism publications and will run for a full three months, people can plan their visit anytime during the summer. The exhibit will also coincide with the Annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival and will offer yet another exciting reason to come to DeKalb County.
The economic impact from attracting tourist to the area can not be under estimated and the reputation of DeKalb County as a place of culture and artistic appreciation can only enhance its attraction to future businesses.
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