Depression Bread Line was cast in bronze at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture in 1999.  The five male figures lined up by the wall on the sculpture pad represent a scene from the Great Depression, a period of economic hardship during which many people were in need of government assistance to survive.  The original sculpture was made in 1991 from plaster, wood, metal, and acrylic paint--it is from this original sculpture that a mold was made for casting.  The sculpture in the park is the second in an intended edition of seven.  The first edition of the sculpture is on view in Washington, D.C. at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial--a tribute to the president who held office during this era in America's history and whose policies helped move the country out of an economic decline towards prosperity.

Born in 1926, George Segal, who grew up in the Bronx, NY.  He moved to New Jersey in 1940 and lived in the same town until he passed away in 2000.  Segal is known internationally for his figurative works in plaster, which he created using a unique technique he had developed.  The figures are often placed within environments made with real objects, creating a personal tableau.

Segal's works have been exhibited in numerous prestigious museums and galleries throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Japan, and South America.  A retrospective exhibition was held in 1997-98 and traveled to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; the Jewish Museum in New York; and the Miami Art Museum, FL.  Segal's sculptures are featured in major public collections.

More information on this artist can be found at http://www.segalfoundation.org/.

Works by George Segal currently on view in the scultpure park are:

Depression Bread Line, 1999
cast bronze, 2/7
108" x 148" x 36"
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.