Olympia Outdoors – Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, Trenton, New Jersey

Long before Seward Johnson began to work on the pieces in his Icons Revisited series, he became fascinated by large-scale monuments in the landscape. The artist considered which images could elicit the strongest responses from viewers once enlarged. Embracing Peace, the Times Square ‘Kiss’, brought history to life. Taking Forever Marilyn to 25 feet allowed Johnson to explore how scale might affect sensuality. Similarly, enlarging the innocent-appearing elderly ladies on the bench in Crossing Paths to 20 feet seemed to grant empowerment to the women. The interaction, photo taking and place-making of the monumental sculptures by Seward Johnson have had dramatic impact on the cities where they have been sited. "I enjoy the play of scale in the environment," Johnson says. "It makes the buildings and the people take a second look at their importance."