The industrial hum inside the high bays of the Johnson Atelier is the sound of contemporary art being physically manifested at a scale that strains the imagination. On any given afternoon, the air is thick with the precision of multi-axis robotic arms, the fine mist of commercial paint booths, and the shared language of creators pushing past the boundaries of raw materials.
What began in 1974 by Seward Johnson as a personal sculptural playground has evolved organically into one of the most technologically advanced fine art production facilities in the United States. Today, the Johnson Atelier serves as a literal extension of the artist’s studio, merging decades of structural craftsmanship with 3D scanning, full 360-degree robotic milling, and CNC technology to help national creators bring monumental public installations to life.
For travelers and art enthusiasts looking down the Jersey Turnpike from Essex County, this sprawling facility represents a premier regional hub where complex public art is born—including an upcoming multi-site urban takeover spearheaded by master ceramist Roberto Lugo.
Reclaiming Space: Roberto Lugo’s Vision
Walking into the Atelier’s paint booth—the largest commercial paint booth on the East Coast—one is immediately confronted by a massive, 20-foot-tall faceted vessel and an 18-foot-tall fire hydrant painted in a bright base-coat orange.
For Lugo, a Philadelphia-born artist of Puerto Rican heritage, these grand-scale objects are deeply rooted in personal memory and the realities of urban life.
“The fire hydrant references turning on the hydrant when I was a kid and playing in that,” Lugo explained while working alongside his studio assistants at the facility. “When my family was experiencing certain financial stress, my father and I would go and open the fire hydrant, and that’s how we would take summer showers. It’s an iconic symbol of urban life, but it’s also about resilience.”
The massive 20-foot vessel’s geometry is inspired by a historic porcelain pot Lugo observed during a residency at Herend Porcelain in Hungary—a shape historically reserved exclusively for royalty. By scaling this form into a monumental public work made of high-density expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and armoring it with weatherproof hard-coatings, Lugo is executing a powerful act of cultural reclamation.
The piece, part of his Selfie Pots series, will feature gilded details alongside hand-painted portraits of globally influential Puerto Ricans, ranging from Lugo’s own parents to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bad Bunny, alongside iconic New York voices like playwright Lemon Anderson and poet Quiara Alegría Hudes.
“I notice a lot of times when you go to museums and art fairs, people are taking pictures of themselves with art,” Lugo noted. “People want to see themselves reflected in art, and this is quite literally an opportunity to do that. The piece is designed with wheelchair access so anyone can stand inside the work and be the featured person.”
In a notable expansion, the Madison Square Park Conservancy is commissioning these works to live both inside the park and further out into the community, placing two smaller companion vessels on either end of the High Bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx—a neighborhood boasting a deeply rooted, historic Puerto Rican diaspora. The installations will be accompanied by functional domino tables and tire planters, bringing elements of street culture directly into the public art space.
The Machine and the Master: Inside the Tech
To achieve the smooth finish Lugo’s work demands, the Johnson Atelier utilizes state-of-the-art CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery and full 360-degree robotic arms capable of carving massive blocks of industrial EPS foam. The higher the density or “poundage” of the foam, the more granular the detail the machine can retain.
“The way it works is it’s pre-programmed,” explained Lauren Collalto and Colleen Molnar of the Atelier’s team. “Some artists come with a completed 3D model ready to go, while others bring a sketch or a small-scale maquette that we scan and digitally enlarge. For Roberto, we built out the 3D model from a photo montage, utilizing a high-resolution bit to keep the surface as smooth as possible so he can hand-paint his portraits directly onto the hard-coated structure.”
The facility’s reputation for executing complex finishes has made it a magnet for elite installations. The famous hyper-realistic giant pigeon that recently captured public attention on New York’s High Line was painted right here in the Atelier’s mixing booths, which utilize high-grade automotive paints. Currently, the team is working with Argentinian artist Adrián Villar Rojas on an upcoming solo exhibition for the Aspen Art Museum, as well as mimicking a delicate white patina using specialized paint formulas for an upcoming installation by artist Derek Fordjour.
Whether fabricating a 20-foot vessel or restoring historical bronzes, the Johnson Atelier proves that the future of public art is being forged at the intersection of heavy machinery and human heritage.
