The NISCA Swimming Award
This small elegant bronze captures the moment a swim coach educates a swimmer in the water. The swim coach kneels down beside the water, while the boy holds onto the wall of the pool. The coach is holding a stop-watch. The forms are rendered with a Classical simplicity of form.
Artist: Joe Brown • Year: 1956 • Medium: Bronze • Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 10 inches • Style/Genre: Classical (dark brown patina).
Provenance/Story: Created by Joe Brown, a premier American sports sculptor of the mid-twentieth century. A large original version exists at the institution of the award recipient. The NISCA award is given each year to the nation’s premier swim instructor; the first recipient was legendary coach Ed Kennedy in 1958, shortly after this bronze’s casting. The archive includes multiple documents, letters, and photos related to the award’s creation, presentation, and administration over a half century, including Hopping’s advocacy letters with Olympic swim coach Soichi Sakamoto.
