Notice any new faces this semester? Florida Southern students are welcomed back to campus by five new members to our community.

You may not recognize his name, but his work is certainly familiar to you. J. Seward Johnson’slife-size depictions of everyday people in contemporary situations have graced public spaces around the world including Yale University, Rockefeller Center and Piazza di Spagna in Rome.

An exhibition of 26 works in total have been set up around Lake Mirror and Munn Park in Lakeland’s downtown area, and an additional five are available for viewing on Florida Southern’s campus.

“We are excited to have some of them placed around our campus” says Professor Jim Rogers, chair of FSC’s art department, “They provide a sculptural experience we all can appreciate.”

The quirky cast bronze creations are part of the world-renowned sculptor’s Man-on-the-street series. Committed to the recreation of realistic textures and minute details, Johnson’s life-size figures in common poses are often mistaken for real people. “The sculptures are amazing!” says freshman Megan Shaw, “I had to look twice to see if they were real.” Even up close, the works are completed with eye-catching detail.

“Realism has the capacity to reach everyone,” writes Johnson. “There is no age barrier, no cultural barrier.” By capturing the human gesture, Johnson celebrates the simple pleasures of everyday experience.

Johnson’s detailed works will be on display until May 2008.