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A Head Start for National Harbor
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Over the years, Johnson has said in interviews that he was surprised his creation so captivated a city that had largely thought of public sculpture as war heroes on horses, or bronze statesmen in suit coats.
He offered no further explanation for his work and let the public project its own stories on the figure.
It arrived in spring 1980, one of more than 88 sculptures invited to the nation's capital for the Eleventh International Sculpture Conference. Amid the sometimes inscrutable creations, "The Awakening" lay at Hains Point like an upended turtle, beckoning children and adults to stand and stare, sit in his upturned palm, try to scale his knee as it pointed skyward, and climb into his gaping maw. The giant's teeth have been polished by the hands and feet of countless children who have climbed in his mouth. Perhaps because of their perfect alignment, the giant's dentures are more amusing than threatening.
Runner Mike Stavlund lamented the sculpture's departure, in part because of the boost that it gave runners when the Marine Corp Marathon was routed past the figure.
"It's funny," he said, pausing to watch the early morning work at Hains Point, as his 21-month-old daughter, Eleanor, sat snug in her stroller. The first few times he ran the long race, he says he remembered thinking the giant seemed to be dying, like Stavlund's legs. In later races, as his endurance improved, the figure looked friendly.
"It's a really huge metaphor for me," he said.
In looking through old records for specifications to help align the sculpture in its new location, Stoeke said the foundation discovered that the figure's various parts had been slightly bunched together at Hains Point. At National Harbor, they were stretched out a bit to reflect the right physical alignment of a person emerging from the ground, she said.
"I hate to see it move, but I'm glad to see that it'll still be in the Washington area," said David M. Furchgott, president of International Arts and Artists, who was director of the 1980 sculpture conference. "It's a work that will hold its own wherever it is. And if you think about it, sculpture is something that's a community marker in many places, and this will certainly continue to be that."
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