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, Rhoden 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 Lawrence.

The John Rhoden Sculpture Garden was created through an historic collaboration between the John Rhoden Collection at PAFA—under the leadership of Dr. Brittany Webb, Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth‑Century Art—and the Hammonds House Museum, led by Halima Taha, Inaugural Artistic Chair. This partnership united scholarly stewardship and curatorial leadership to establish a permanent cultural space dedicated to advancing public engagement with Rhoden’s work and legacy, particularly among intellectually and culturally diverse audiences.

The sculptures on view are gifts from the John Walter and Richanda Phillips Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). The John Rhoden Sculpture Garden was established on September 20, 2024.