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The Awakening (Johnson sculpture)
Encyclopedia
The Awakening is a 70 feet (21.3 m) statue of a giant embedded in the earth, struggling to free himself, located at National Harbor in Prince George's County, Maryland
, USA, just outside the District of Columbia. It was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and originally installed at Hains Point
, Washington, D.C..
attempting to free himself from the ground. The left hand and right foot barely protrude, while the bent left leg and knee jut into the air. The 17 feet (5.2 m) high right arm and hand reach farther out of the ground. The bearded face, with the mouth in mid-scream, struggles to emerge from the earth.
(East Potomac Park
), Washington, D.C. in 1980 for the International Sculpture Conference Exhibition. Although its National Park Service
"temporary permit" had long expired, the statue remained for 27 years at the southern end of Hains Point
, across the Potomac River
from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
. The statue was positioned in a large, flat, open field.
In 2007, the National Park Service
announced that the sculpture would be moved to the National Harbor, after the artist sold the statue for $750,000. The sculpture was excavated and removed from Hains Point on February 20, 2008, and then was installed at National Harbor in a configuration to correct scale issues that existed in the original sculpture.
On October 10, 2009, a second casting of The Awakening was unveiled in Chesterfield, Missouri
. The second sculpture is also 70 feet (21.3 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) tall at its highest point.
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, USA, just outside the District of Columbia. It was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and originally installed at Hains Point
Hains Point
Hains Point is located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in southwest Washington, D.C. The land on which the park is located is sometimes described as a peninsula but is actually an island: the Washington Channel...
, Washington, D.C..
Description
The statue consists of five separate aluminum pieces buried in the ground, giving the impression of a distressed giantGiant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
attempting to free himself from the ground. The left hand and right foot barely protrude, while the bent left leg and knee jut into the air. The 17 feet (5.2 m) high right arm and hand reach farther out of the ground. The bearded face, with the mouth in mid-scream, struggles to emerge from the earth.
History
The Awakening was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and originally installed at Hains PointHains Point
Hains Point is located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in southwest Washington, D.C. The land on which the park is located is sometimes described as a peninsula but is actually an island: the Washington Channel...
(East Potomac Park
East Potomac Park
East Potomac Park is a section of Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., located south of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge. Located between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River, the park is home to the East Potomac Park Golf Course, a miniature golf course, a public swimming...
), Washington, D.C. in 1980 for the International Sculpture Conference Exhibition. Although its National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
"temporary permit" had long expired, the statue remained for 27 years at the southern end of Hains Point
Hains Point
Hains Point is located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in southwest Washington, D.C. The land on which the park is located is sometimes described as a peninsula but is actually an island: the Washington Channel...
, across the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
. The statue was positioned in a large, flat, open field.
In 2007, the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
announced that the sculpture would be moved to the National Harbor, after the artist sold the statue for $750,000. The sculpture was excavated and removed from Hains Point on February 20, 2008, and then was installed at National Harbor in a configuration to correct scale issues that existed in the original sculpture.
On October 10, 2009, a second casting of The Awakening was unveiled in Chesterfield, Missouri
Chesterfield, Missouri
Chesterfield is a second-ring western suburb of St. Louis and is the largest city in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census the population is 47,484. Chesterfield also celebrated its 20th birthday in 2008.- Geography :...
. The second sculpture is also 70 feet (21.3 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) tall at its highest point.
See also
- The Bassin d'EnceladeGaspard and Balthazard MarsyThe brothers Gaspard and Balthazard Marsy were French sculptors...
(1675–77), a remarkably similar sculpture at VersaillesVersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, France - Monumento al AhogadoMonumento al AhogadoMonumento al Ahogado is a sculpture of five fingers partially submerged in sand, located on Parada 1 at Brava Beach in Punta del Este, a popular resort town in Uruguay. It is colloquially referred to as either Monumento los Dedos or La Mano...
(1982), a sculptural hand emerging from the ground - Mano del DesiertoMano del DesiertoThe Mano de Desierto is a large-scale sculpture of a hand located in the Atacama Desert in Chile, 75 km to the south of the city of Antofagasta, on the Panamerican Highway...
(1992), a giant hand emerging from the ground in the Atacama DesertAtacama DesertThe Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...
, Chile