John Rhoden Sculpture Garden

The John Rhoden Sculpture Garden  at the  Hammonds House Museum, is its first permanent outdoor installation dedicated solely  to  John Rhoden’s work, has quickly  become defining  attraction  for the Museum Featuring  ten  striking  bronze and one teak wood sculptures,  the garden not only honors Rhoden’s  legacy but also elevates the museum’s profile as a  destination  for art lovers and  cultural  events.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, John Rhoden (1916-2001) showed sculpting prowess early in his youth. As a student at Talladega College (1934-36), he met artist Hale Woodruff who advised him to visit New York City. Following Woodruff’s advice, Roden went to New York and met major figures who were crucial to his artistic development including Alain Locke, writer, philosopher, educator and the acknowledged “dean” of the Harlem Renaissance; Augusta Savage, sculptor and founder of Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts; and nationally acclaimed artist Jacob Lawence. 

Rhoden served in the military in World War II (1943-46). After the war he attended Columbia University, and it was there he met and fell in love with painter and fellow art student Richanda Phillips.

In 1951 Rhoden received a Fulbright fellowship and was accepted to the American Academy in Rome. From 1952 to 1954, he had access to a studio with thirty-foot ceilings, allowing him to work in large-scale bronze sculptures. In 1953 he won the Rome Prize, and in 1954, John Rhoden and Richanda Philips married in the Eternal City.

 In 1955 Rhoden was sponsored by the US Department of State to go on an international tour, visiting Ireland, Norway, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Kenya, Rhodesia, Uganda, Zanzibar, India, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. And In 1958 and 1959, he received a grant from the State Department to tour the Soviet Union, Poland, and Yugoslavia.  

Also, in 1959 Rhoden received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to study ancient and modern sculpture in Indonesia. From 1960 to 1962, the Rhodens lived in Bali and Java, where Rhoden collaborated with professors and students at the Institute Teknologi Bandung (ITB).  

Although geography and travel were crucial to his work, Rhoden considered himself a New Yorker. He and Richanda settled in Brooklyn Heights in the mid-60’s where they worked out of their home studio. Both taught for several decades in the New York City Department of Education. During this time Rhoden received major commissions from the Harlem Metropolitan Hospitals in New York. His work was also exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, African American Museum in Philadelphia, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and others. 

The Rhodens lived in Brooklyn Heights until John passed away in 2001. In 2017 the Rhoden estate entrusted the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) to give John Rhoden his long overdue recognition with his first career retrospective from October 5, 2023-April 7, 2024. PAFA also assumed responsibility for preserving Rhoden’s legacy and the collection of more than 300 pieces of his works.