Bronze sculpture by Baltimore creator secured by local artistic trust
Residents of Haddonfield and beyond will have a new sight to see when crossing into the borough from Ellis Street for the next two years — “Ballerina,” a life-sized, 200-plus-pound bronze sculpture created by Baltimore-based artist Barry Woods Johnston.
The installation, which depicts a young woman with arms outstretched and one leg in the air, made its outdoor debut on a chilly Jan. 2 within the traffic circle where Ellis and Haddon Avenue meet. Its dimensions are six feet wide, six feet tall and about 20 inches deep. The event was held by the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust, and was the first in what is expected to be a series of four installations planned in 2019.
“Ballerina” is among Johnston’s works that capture energized form and anatomy in motion with robust, gravity-defying sculptures. This particular piece was inspired by a moment during the Broadway production, “Dance,” and crafted so the gesture, representing a dynamic, fluid motion, creates an illusion of movement within a solid form. It was awarded “Best in the Show” during the 1990 National Arts Club Annual.
“With these small sculptures, it’s a reason for people to bring themselves and their children to Haddonfield. We have another piece going in soon on Kings Highway. We’re going to have a pretty active year,” noted HOST chair Stuart Harting, who oversaw the installation during a busy afternoon at the intersection.
Johnston had stashed the sculpture in his studio for years since its creation, and Harting saw a great opportunity for the borough to display an important piece crafted by a fine artist. According to Harting, HOST places no geographic boundaries on where the work is coming from — as future art is expected to arrive from New York, and talks are ongoing with another artist in Kentucky.
“We go out and solicit. We’ve had some inquiries but basically I go out and talk to people all across the country,” said Harting. “This was the result of at least three-to-four months of discussion, on where to place it, the length of time (it will be displayed). It’s a minimum of two years it’ll be here. (Afterward) it could be returned to the artist, but we hope someone might purchase it.”
Johnston was deeply involved in the process, hard at work once the sculpture was unloaded from the van onto the circle before being fitted on its base and then hoisted into position. Joining him were Harting, along with Haddonfield sculptor John Giannotti and his apprentice, Haddonfield native Ben Scott, who is attending Savannah College of Art and Design.
For the sculpture to be secured properly, holes first had to be drilled into a concrete base to fit a pedestal, which had to be tall enough to elevate the work above the “Welcome to Historic Haddonfield” sign that the sculpture rests behind. Once the pedestal was stable, the base of the sculpture was secured to it with bolts, and the four-man crew delicately positioned and rotated the sculpture into its intended position.
“It looks pretty no matter which way you turn it. All that work was worth the final product. What a sight when entering Haddonfield,” Johnston said when viewing the final product.
The Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust, www.haddonfieldsculpture.org, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit public/private outdoor art initiative that has populated downtown Haddonfield with more than 20 rotational, contemporary outdoor sculptures over the past few years. The trust receives no public funds. Acquisitions are funded by private and corporate donors.
For more information about Johnston and his art, visit: http://sculptorjohnston.com/.
