The life-size bronze figures that went up along Granada Boulevard in January are now in their final stretch. The Ormond Beach Arts District first booked "Art Imitates Life II: Beyond the Bronze" for six months ending in June. In August the Arts District said the Seward Johnson sculptures would stay through December. That gives the city one more fall with Einstein falling off his bicycle on West Granada and two brothers chasing a kite at Rockefeller Gardens.
The pieces stand along the Granada Boulevard corridor between A1A and US 1. Most of them are near the two ends of the Granada Bridge, in the riverfront parks. Those same parks host this year's last big civic gatherings. Taste of Ormond, Riverfest and the closing weeks of the sculptures all take place in the same few acres beside the Halifax River.
The End Date Depends on Which Page You Read
There is no single closing date. The Ormond Memorial Art Museum's tour page lists the exhibit as "January 19 through December 2026." The Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau lists it through December 30, 2026. A City of Ormond Beach public hearing notice set a June 24, 2026, Arts District Board hearing on a request to extend the tour "from June 15, 2026, to January 10, 2027" within the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area.
The Arts District's own Sculpture Tour page uses that later date and lists the exhibit as running "January 19 - January 10, 2027." Its August release said December. The bronzes look set to stay through the holidays, with the organizer's own page pointing to January 10.
At least one piece may already be gone. Sweet Sixteen, the girl reading at the museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd., is listed by the museum as on view only through August 12, 2026. The August announcement still said a dozen sculptures would remain through December. Check before you plan a stop around her.
Where Each Figure Stands
The Arts District's sculpture map gives each piece's host location and sponsor. Printed copies are available throughout the district, and every piece has signage and a QR code. Here are all twelve, sorted by side of the river:
| Sculpture | Location | Side of the bridge |
|---|---|---|
| A Turn of the Century | Seacoast Bank, 175 W. Granada Blvd. | Mainland |
| Keep Life in Balance | 70 W. Granada Blvd., sponsored by Frame of Mind | Mainland |
| A Reason to Smile | Main Street Park, 34 W. Granada Blvd. | Mainland |
| Sidewalk Concert | Bailey Riverbridge Gardens, 1 N. Beach St. | Mainland, riverfront |
| A Little to the Right | Cassen Park, 1 S. Beach St. | Mainland, riverfront |
| Sweet Sixteen | Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd. | Beachside |
| Hot Weather | Granada Plaza, 145 E. Granada Blvd. | Beachside |
| Bake Sale | Granada Plaza, 205 E. Granada Blvd. | Beachside |
| Big Sister | Granada Plaza, 251 E. Granada Blvd. | Beachside |
| No Mommy, That One! | Fortunato Park, 2 John Anderson Dr. | Beachside, riverfront |
| Out of Sight | Rockefeller Gardens, 25 Riverside Dr. | Beachside, riverfront |
| Can We Dance Here, Mommy? | The Casements, 25 Riverside Dr. | Beachside, riverfront |
Seven pieces are on the beachside, which matches the seven the museum included in its March 16 beachside walking tour that began in its lobby. Only two of the twelve are west of Main Street Park: A Turn of the Century and Keep Life in Balance, on the West Granada blocks toward US 1.
Five Parks at Either End of the Bridge
The sculptures with the most room around them are in the riverfront parks. Two flank the west landing of the bridge along Beach Street. Sidewalk Concert is in Bailey Riverbridge Gardens. Its open instrument case holds bronze bills, and each bill carries the sculptor's own face in relief. Across Granada, A Little to the Right is in Cassen Park. It has the exhibit's least realistic skin, a champagne metallic finish.
Three more are at the east landing. No Mommy, That One! shows a mother reading to a squirming toddler in Fortunato Park. Can We Dance Here, Mommy? is at The Casements, the Rockefeller winter house. Out of Sight is next door in Rockefeller Gardens. The Arts District lists both at 25 Riverside Dr. Out of Sight shows two brothers launching a kite, and the younger one wears a Batman shirt. The piece stood for many years in Key West, one of Johnson's home bases.
Add A Reason to Smile, Johnson's Mona Lisa, at Main Street Park a block up from Beach Street. That puts half the collection within an easy walk of the bridge.
The Fall Calendar Lands on the Same Ground
The biggest dates on the downtown calendar are in these same parks.
Taste of Ormond, the 13th annual edition, is Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Rockefeller Gardens. Ormond Main Street is giving this year's evening a Roaring Twenties theme, with local restaurants, live entertainment and cocktails. Proceeds support Ormond Main Street. The theme suits the setting, since The Casements and the kite-flying brothers are just steps from the tables.
Riverfest is November 21 and 22, 2026, in both Rockefeller Gardens and Fortunato Park. Main Street describes it as a two-day waterfront festival with free admission, free parking, food, music, vendors and family activities. Out of Sight and No Mommy, That One! are inside the two festival parks, and Can We Dance Here, Mommy? is next door at The Casements. Riverfest weekend is likely the last time the riverfront pieces see large crowds before the exhibit closes.
The First Saturday Ormond Art Walk covers the corridor itself. It is free and runs monthly from 3 to 7 p.m. along Granada Boulevard, and the museum lists pop-ups on November 7 and December 5. At the museum, "Once Upon A Time: The Renaissance" runs through November 15 and "Space In Between: Russell Bellamy & Kevin Haran" runs through November 29. Renaissance paintings inside, a bronze Mona Lisa in Main Street Park and a Renoir couple outside Seacoast Bank make the November Art Walk a fitting time to see both.
One event will come after the bronzes are gone. The seventh Ormond Beach Beer Festival at The Casements was scheduled for October 10. According to the Ormond Beach Observer, it has been postponed to January 30, 2027. Even under the later January 10 end date, Can We Dance Here, Mommy? will be gone from The Casements by then.
A Route Along the Finished Corridor
The Florida Department of Transportation now lists its $9.2 million Granada Boulevard safety and resurfacing project, from US 1 to A1A, as completed. The bridge itself was not part of the work. The speed limit stays at 30 mph. The Washington Street crossing, the crossing west of Beach Street and a new raised mid-block crossing between Vining Court and Bovard Avenue all have pedestrian hybrid beacons. These overhead signals stay dark until someone presses the button, then tell drivers to stop. In August 2025, the Ormond Beach Observer reported that FDOT planned to remove some of the new curb extensions and chicanes after public input, including the curb extension east of Halifax Drive.
The Arts District says the whole set can be seen in one outing, on foot or by car. One order, starting on the mainland:
- Start at Seacoast Bank, 175 W. Granada Blvd., with A Turn of the Century, based on Renoir's Dance at Bougival.
- Walk east to 70 W. Granada Blvd. for Keep Life in Balance, the physicist who has forgotten how to ride a bike.
- Continue to Main Street Park, 34 W. Granada Blvd., for A Reason to Smile.
- At Beach Street, see Sidewalk Concert in Bailey Riverbridge Gardens and A Little to the Right in Cassen Park.
- Cross the bridge and check the museum at 78 E. Granada Blvd. for Sweet Sixteen.
- Continue east to Granada Plaza for Hot Weather, Bake Sale and Big Sister.
- Double back to the river to finish at Fortunato Park, Rockefeller Gardens and The Casements.
For a meal along the way, New Orleans Original Creole/Cajun Cafe was set to open August 29 at 188 E. Granada Blvd., in the former Gili's Kitchen space, according to the Ormond Beach Observer. The menu includes po'boys, charbroiled oysters and beignets.
The Arts District has also said it plans an artist paint-out and docent tours, with details posted to its Facebook page as they are scheduled. This is Ormond Beach's second set of Johnson bronzes. The first, thirteen sculptures, stood from November 2024 to May 2025. In the Arts District's August news release, carried by the Ormond Beach Observer, Vice President Judith Stein said the first group "was such a success, we knew we had to bring more."
Many of our clients first see Ormond Beach on foot, at the river end of Granada, and we know that corridor block by block. If you are thinking about a home within walking distance of the Halifax River parks, or want a quiet read on that stretch of town, The Cook Group is glad to talk. Schedule a Private Consultation whenever it suits you.
