Metamorphosis

by Gregory Johnson

In honor of the Class of 1964’s 50th reunion, class members commissioned sculptor Gregory Johnson of Cumming, Georgia, to create “Metamorphosis,” a 100-pound bronze statue that represented Winthrop’s history as a teacher training institution for women. Installed on a bench at the end of Scholars Walk in September 2014, the sculpture depicts a female Winthrop student dressed in an early 1900s-era school uniform and reading a book from which a butterfly emerges. The butterfly in flight serves as a symbol for the Class of 1964 – one they used during their Classes Night – and a metaphor for the transformation all Winthrop students undergo.