The Shield of Chichen Itza Installed in Morrissey Park

Public Art League is proud to announce the installation of The Shield of Chichen Itza, a sculpture by James K. Johnson.  The sculpture was installed, with assistance from the Champaign Park District, on Wednesday, August 28^th in Morrissey Park, 1400 Windsor Road, Champaign.  The Shield of Chichen Itza represents the 34^th sculpture Public Art League has brought to the community, and its installation is possible thanks to the generous support of the Champaign Parks Foundation.

James K. Johnson, the sculptor of The Shield of Chichen Itza, is the former Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Eastern Illinois University.  He has received six grants from state and local institutions to develop glassblowing and bronze casting facilities and was selected as one of five sculptors to participate in a research project at the University of Costa Rica.  As an artist, he has participated in over 60 regional and national juried and invitational exhibitions, and completed numerous large scale outdoor sculptures in aluminum and cor-ten steel on exhibit in Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, and Indiana.

In describing The Shield of Chichen Itza, Johnson states, “As a sculptor, I have always been concerned with creating works of art that cause the viewer to pause and reflect upon their surroundings and in doing so become more aware of the environment that they are passing through.   Each work of art that I have designed and fabricated is a reflection of past experiences that have shaped my life and the interest that I have in ancient cultures, especially the Mayans that used art as a means of understanding their place in the history of mankind.  Equally important has been my use of the arch as a means of transforming the viewer from a place and time of activity to one of calm and reflection.”