Lunchbox Joe is back at Churchill Square. The life-sized statue spent a year and a half away from its downtown Edmonton home after would-be thieves attempted to steal the 400-pound aluminum figure. Restoration work included repairing damaged fingers, reattaching the body to a new bench and applying a fresh coat of white paint, said Daniel Anderson of the Edmonton Arts Council. Anderson, who portrayed Lunchbox Joe during a living statue performance Tuesday at City Hall to mark the occasion, said the repairs have restored the sculpture’s appearance. “He’s gorgeous,” Anderson, who also performs around the city as the Copper Cowboy living statue, told reporters. “He probably hasn’t looked that good for well over two decades.” Officially known as Lunch Break, the sculpture was first installed at Churchill Square in 1983 and is one of three versions located around the world. It was created by John Seward Johnson Jr., an American artist known for his life-sized, painted sculptures cast in bronze, aluminum and styrofoam. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brandon Lynch
