The Man on the Bench

Chances are if you've been to the Central Library, you've noticed the life-size statue of a man reading on a bench.

The man greets patrons when they walk in the building as he reads Computing the Future, which is the same name the art piece was given by sculptor J. Seward Johnson. The piece has been in the Central Library since the building opened in 1998.

Although they may look real, his clothes are made entirely from bronze, too. Textures that imitate corduroy, tweed or a cable knit sweater pattern are made with an electric tool that's a lot like a dentist's drill, which is very time-consuming. It takes Johnson one or two years to create a single sculpture!

If you're a traveler, you might see another of Johnson's works in places like New York City, Dallas, Paris, London and Istanbul. A bit closer to home, there's one at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.