Photo by Shepard Ritzen.

The mystery of the lifestyle art sculptures that recently appeared on an empty lot on the 4700 block of Market Street has been (somewhat) solved. The statues are by well-known New Jersey-based artist Seward Johnson, and the lot, owned by the Daniel Veloric Foundation, is a future site for a museum with some public meeting space, according to a recent report by Philly.com.

It’s not clear yet when the construction will begin, but reportedly “soon.” The Veloric Foundation, whose owner Daniel Veloric is 91 years old and lives in the suburbs, purchased the entire block in 2017. Some demolition work on the site has already been done, according to the report. The organization has reportedly allocated $1.3 million for the project. 

The 10 sculptures come from the artist’s company Seward Johnson Atelier, according to the report, but it’s not known whether they had been purchased or leased. Why wait for the museum when you can have an outdoor art installation? Veloric reportedly wanted the sculptures “out in the open to be seen.” And Seward Johnson’s sculptures are perfect for outdoor display. Check out his and other artists’ work for Grounds for Sculpture.