# @juliemileslewis on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcOpVxnxATb
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69502031-juliemileslewis-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b45d7ec3f4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19T16:46:40.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Julie Lewis (@juliemileslewis) — https://gondola.cc/juliemileslewis

## Caption

SURVIVAL OF SERENA

Yesterday I was out walking in Chicago when I came across this beautiful  sculpture by American artist Carole A. Feuerman . As a swimmer it resonated with me straight away. 

Survival of Serena  is part of Carole’s “Monuments of Stillness” exhibition along the Magnificent Mile.

At first glance, she looks  peaceful. Resting. Floating. Serene.
However the story runs much deeper.

Carole traces the inspiration for Survival of Serena to seeing Cuban immigrants arriving in Key West by water in the early 1980s. The swimmer became a symbol of survival, migration, resilience and the possibility of beginning again.

What struck me was the contrast: this beautiful moment of stillness sitting in the middle of a busy Chicago street. 

Stillness isn’t the absence of struggle; sometimes it is what comes after it.

We navigate the rough water.
We adapt.
We survive.
And eventually, we find somewhere to rest.

Feuerman’s swimmers have been described as capturing a moment of grace in the tempestuous sea of life.

That feels particularly meaningful to me right now and certainly back in 2018 when I attempted to swim from England to France .... the sea had other plans for me and after 4 hours of swimming in the dark the current was taking me further away from France !  However,  it did result in a best selling book “ Uncharted Waters” inspired by the channel experience. 

Perhaps resilience isn’t always about swimming harder.
Sometimes it’s knowing when to float. 🌊
Thank you Carole for making my morning walk so special .... now I’d like to find the rest of your sculptures ! 
Julie x #chicago #art #stillness #

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## Tags

stillness, art, chicago

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