A new show is served on ‘Midnight Snack Trays’
The creator of one of Yountville’s most iconic public works of art, will be memorialized at the Steve Rogers Gallery later this month, with a free exhibit titled “Midnight Snack Trays, A Feast for the Eyes” that will last through mid-September.
Seward Johnson (1930 – 2020), a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, Sr. the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, was an American artist known for trompe-l’œil painted bronze sculptures.
In 1974 he founded the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute to help sculptors retain control over their artwork and gain access to previously guarded production techniques. Today, he is world-renowned for his monumental, life-size bronze figurative sculptures, including one on the Yountville Art Walk.
Anyone who has spent even a day in Yountville is likely familiar with Johnson’s work — at least one work of art in particular. At the Y at Washington and Yount Streets in the center of town. Johnson’s life-size bronze sculpture of a man sitting on a bench titled “Sidewalk Judge” permanently holds court in front of the Yountville Community Center.
This work of public art, referenced by Yountville Arts as one of the town’s most Instagram-worthy stops, beckons human interaction. I recall walking the empty streets of town in the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had dictated shutdowns. Joining us in the effort, “Sidewalk Judge” was wearing a surgical mask clearly added by a passerby, which brought some laughs and a moment of joy to both my then college-age daughter and me.
Typically, sleepless nights might lead to a warm bath, reading, mediation, white noise and other calming tactics. For Johnson, an artist who painted as well as sculpted, he had a choice. Late at night when he could not sleep, he chose to stay up and paint.
Johnson’s series of Midnight Snack Trays began in the 1960s in a departure from bronze sculpture. His painted snack trays provided a mixture of utility and hobby and fulfilled his search for warmth and contentment. Painting the trays differed from the intensity that sculpting required, plus they were useful for serving snacks. Johnson collected trays from antique shows, which he then used as canvases.
“Midnight Snack Art helps me lose myself in order to find myself,” Johnson said.
Late last year, Johnson Atelier’s Chief Legacy Officer Lynn Declemente Losavio approached the town of Yountville and Yountville Arts to discuss future collaborations as she was planning a trip to the Napa Valley and wanted to see “Sidewalk Judge” on permanent display.
“When Lynn contacted us to meet, we were already familiar with their continuing work and the desire to continue getting Seward’s art and stories out in the public,” said Yountville’s Director of Parks and Recreation Samantha Holland.
“Lynn was so impressed with the public art in Yountville when she arrived, that our conversation at that first meeting was full of possibilities. Lynn shared that Johnson had painted the collected trays one-by-one on sleepless nights, we realized they could make a compelling show in our gallery.”
The subjects of“Midnight Snack Trays” explore Johnson’s personal memories, including scenes from his home and farm in Hopewell, New Jersey, which ultimately became the “Grounds For Sculpture,” a 42-acre site that includes a museum, sculpture garden and arboretum where art and nature intersect.
The Yountville exhibit will feature more than 60 trays selected from both the Seward Johnson Atelier and the Johnson family’s private collections that total several hundred works.The selection will offer an opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of Johnson’s imaginative landscapes with architectural and sculptural themes.
“We are so excited to present this gem of a collection,” Yountville Arts Commissioner Noel Resnick said, “Seward Johnson’s sculpture has been an anchor on our Art Walk, and to be able to showcase this very personal collection of his painted trays further shares Johnson’s art and vision with our community.”
The exhibition will also feature the unveiling of another Seward Johnson lifelike sculpture, Sidewalk Concert, whichwill be added to the Yountville Art Walk next year.
A free opening reception for “Midnight Snack Trays, A Feast for the Eyes” is set for Thursday, June 26, at the Steve Rogers Gallery at the Yountville Community Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The exhibit will remain on display through Sept.12.
Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or evenings and Sundays by appointment. The Steve Rogers Gallery is at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington St. For more information visit www.yountvillearts.com
