Renowned artist to sculpt Roebling
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By: Scott Morgan , Staff Writer
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07/29/2004 |
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World-renowned sculptor J. Seward Johnson Jr.
will craft an image of the Village of Roebling's
namesake for its 100th birthday.
ROEBLING — It started with little more than
an idea and $5,000. Somewhere along the line,
letters to banks and businesses were written,
order forms were printed and e-mails sent.
And somehow, the Roebling Garden Club scored
world-renowned sculptor J. Seward Johnson Jr. to
craft an image of the Village of Roebling's
namesake for its 100th birthday.
"We e-mailed him looking for the names of
other sculptors," said Michelle Scott of the
Garden Club's attempts to find an artist willing
to commemorate Charles G. Roebling in bronze.
But Mr. Johnson, quite surprisingly, said he'd
love to do it himself, she said.
"That's pretty impressive," Ms. Scott said.
"We're not just getting any sculptor."
J. Seward Johnson Jr., most famous locally
for his realistic life-size cast-bronze figures
at Hamilton's Grounds for Sculpture and at
various parks and government buildings, is the
artist responsible for more than 200 sculptures
around the world. Those with even a basic
knowledge of sculpture know his name and can
even connect it with one of the World Trade
Center's surviving pieces, "Double Check," which
depicts a business man opening a briefcase on a
park bench.
But, to the Garden Club, paying tribute to
the man who designed the Village of Roebling
deserves such a talent — and warrants the
$100,000 price tag. In order to put the
sculpture in its intended permanent home in the
Roebling Circle (Fifth and Main streets) next
year, the Garden Club needs to raise about
$95,000.
Earlier this month, the club began a
fund-raiser aimed at securing much of that
money. Through the sale of walkway pavers that
will eventually go around the statue, Ms. Scott
said, the club hopes to narrow the gap between
money needed and a complete project.
The pavers sell for $100 apiece and are
available through the garden club.
The idea to have a statue made in honor of
Charles Roebling began last fall, Ms. Scott
said, when club president Loretta Varga said she
wanted to do something extra special to
commemorate Roebling's 100th anniversary in
2005. To get things started, she said, the club
wanted to use the $5,000 the Friends of Roebling
(a division of the Garden Club) raised through
its book "Images of America: Roebling."
Despite naysayers who said the book would
never sell, it is in its second printing, Ms.
Scott said. Now, she said, those same naysayers
(and maybe a few new ones) say there is no way a
small garden club can raise the capital it needs
to build a statue. But time, she said, would
certainly tell. Besides, she said, there are
seven members of the club working on everything
from distributing paver order forms to seeking
out grants.
"Everybody does a little bit," Ms. Scott
said. "But we still have a long way to go."
Anyone interested in supporting the project
or seeking more information can visit
www.roebling.org or call 499-1160. |
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