Politics & Government

New Home for 'The Search'

The Seward Johnson sculpture was moved from the back of Memorial Park to the front of the Library of the Chathams on Thursday morning.

One of the best-kept secrets of the Public Arts Council, according to Council Member Jennifer Kaplan, is the Seward Johnson sculpture "The Search."

"She's in the back there, and it's a little lonely," Kaplan said.

For nearly two years, "The Search" has been on public display in the back of Memorial Park on the eastern side, opposite the Chatham Borough Municipal Pool, the playground, the basketball court and the baseball field.

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Occupied lots along Main Street and northern Hillside Avenue block it from open view, and even from the parking lot it is a struggle to find "The Search."

But no longer. On Thursday morning, Kaplan oversaw the relocation of "The Search" by members of the borough's Department of Public Works.

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"We wanted to give her more visibility," Kaplan said. "Our most well-known sculpture is the other Johnson sculpture ["Attic Trophy,"] which is right up there in the park. Our least well known one is this one ["The Search,"] partly because it's way in the back."

"The Search" now sits in the front of the along the pathway from the Main Street sidewalk. It is readily visible – and accessible – to any passers-by.

"The Search" depicts an elderly woman sitting on a bench as she searches nervously for her glasses. Biting her bottom lip, she digs through her the contents of her purse, which include a wallet and a tube of lipstick. Her glasses are perched on top of her head.

The California-based The Sculpture Foundation loaned "The Search" and two other sculptures, including "Attic Trophy," also by Johnson and displayed in Memorial Park, to the borough. The loan was made possible, Kaplan said, by a donation from HSBC Bank and by , which donated the transportation of the sculpture.

The other Seward Johnson sculpture on display in Memorial Park, "Attic Trophy," depicts a young girl playing with a hula hoop. , apparently pushed over, and significant damage was sustained to the girl's ankle at its base.

A Mural for Chatham

Kaplan said that the Public Arts Council is in the preliminary stages of creating a mural for the borough that would go under the Fairmount Avenue rail overpass.

"It will be a celebration of historical and contemporary Chatham," Kaplan said.

Kenji Hasegawa, an art teacher at Washington Avenue School, is the main artist behind the mural. "I love his art. He knows Chatham really well and he's great to work with, and he has experience developing murals," Kaplan said.

The steering committee for the mural met for the first time in July. Permission to do the mural still has to be obtained from New Jersey Transit and the Chatham Borough Council.

"We're still in the early stages," Kaplan said, "But so far everybody's been great to work with."


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