Simsbury Chamber toasts Art Trail with champagne

Simsbury Chamber of Commerce President Louis George of Hassett & George, Ana Oliveira of Ana”™s Kitchen, Simsbury Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Gray and Simsbury Chamber of Commerce Publicist Alisa Picerno of Alliances By Alisa Media Relations.

Thirty-two lifelike sculptures created by Seward Johnson and sponsored by the Simsbury Chamber of Commerce will be found throughout the summer along Simsbury streets and gardens. The hand-painted sculptures will be on display until Sept. 15.

The kick off for the installment was held May 18 at the Simsbury Chamber”™s Art Trail Champagne Breakfast, hosted by Ana”™s Kitchen”™s owners Ana Oliveira and Jeff Hoberman.

“We have the opportunity to toast the contributions of everyone who has made our Art Trail a reality,” said Lisa Gray, the executive director of the chamber. “Our champagne breakfast has been the most successful event of the season and we know that our Simsbury Art Trail will be the most in-demand destination of the summer.”

Johnson, an artist, advocate for the arts and a philanthropist, is the grandson of Johnson & Johnson co-founder Robert Wood Johnson. At age 38, his wife encouraged him to try sculpting and his first sculpture, “Stainless Girl,” won a national contest sponsored by U.S. Steel. Johnson”™s “Celebrating the Familiar” series consists of painted bronze people doing ordinary things in daily life. The sculptures celebrate Americans being Americans, and they can be found in plazas and parks across the country, as well as in Italy and China. Johnson was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013. His works can be found at sewardjohnsonatelier.org.