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Downtown Mesa Association
(and Ultimate Imaginations, Inc.)
100 N. Center Street
Mesa, AZ 85201
(480) 890-2613
25 FOOT TALL "AMERICAN GOTHIC" SCULPTURE ARRIVES IN MESA
A towering farming couple in the form of the "God Bless America" sculpture, by renowned American artist J. Seward Johnson, was installed at the intersection of Main and Macdonald Streets in downtown Mesa March 1, 2010.
Inspired by painter Grant Wood�s American Gothic, sculptor Seward Johnson has transformed the figures into a three-dimensional scene that towers over treetops and looms above pedestrians. The sculpture is part of a series by Johnson using artistic icons "images that have had a significant impact on our culture" and transforming them.
"I want to invite us all to 'look back' at these images and discover what we've learned since they first became icons to us, and how our understanding or point of view may have shifted since then," said Johnson, the sculptor. "We accept them as icons, but as an artist I want to ask another question such as, would they be embraced the same way if they came to us today? Would we view them with more cynicism or can we still see purity at this stage of our social maturity?"
The people of Mesa are familiar with the sculpture of Seward Johnson from his city-wide exhibitions which graced the byways of the city several years ago. Along with the influx of spring baseball and the quintessentially American sport, Mesa welcomes another classic American icon by inviting God Bless America to the city.
Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pomeroy's Mens Clothing Store, Downtown Mesa Association, and Ultimate Imaginations, Inc. have all sponsored the temporary loan of the sculpture from The Sculpture Foundation, a not for profit entity that encourages the placement and sharing of public art.
For additional information about the artist or the sculpture contact:
THE SCULPTURE FOUNDATION
310.264.2400
For additional information about or to find out about visiting this or the other sculptures in Downtown Mesa and the partners in Mesa who brought "God Bless America" please contact:
480.890.2613
Media links about the sculpture:
Massive Sculpture in Mesa - Channel 3 - Good Morning ArizonaCity Leaders Hope New Statue Brings Big Business - Channel 3
Large Sculpture Going Up In Mesa - Channel 12