Grounds for sculpture
Driving in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, I was often puzzled by the incredibly large sculptures along Sloan Road, just off Route 295. Up until recently there was a large tooth that stood in front of a linoleum factory. On the other side of the road were painted figures that seemed over two-stories high, colorful and whimsical. I knew these statues had something to do with a landscaped sculpture park, called Grounds For Sculpture. Since I had never been there, I wasn’t sure what this connection could be. They were actually sculpted by the founder of this amazing park, Seward Johnson.
I came to Grounds For Sculpture with both anticipation and puzzlement. After all sculpture is an art form with many expressions and uses a more varied media than any other art. It fascinates me. I cannot imagine how an artist can work in three-dimensional space, casting a vision that can be either representational or abstract. The whole notion of such projects fills me with wonder.
I arrived at Grounds For Sculpture and parked by the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts. Once inside I looked for Carolynn McCormick, the manager of marketing, who would introduce me to Tom Moran, the Chief Curator.
We met in the pleasant atmosphere of the Van Gogh Cafe, one of four dining options at the Grounds. Tom was enthusiastic about his job. His experience made him perfect for the job. For 30 years he served as director of arts inclusion and artistic services at the New Jersey State Arts Council. Tom, a sculptor in his own right, has shown his work in the U.S., France, and Poland. Although he was born in Massachusetts, his New Jersey credentials go back to his earning an MFA from Mason Gross School of Art at Rutgers University. He has taught at Douglass College and Rutgers as well as a couple of community colleges.
Tom told me a little about the history of the Grounds and the relationship it had in the beginning with Seward Johnson and Seward Johnson Atelier. Being a man of action, Tom told me that the best way to understand the park was to see it, so he took me on a personal tour to see the 300 sculptures and 25,000 feet of indoor exhibition space. Of course, he said, we wouldn’t get to see it all. And to really appreciate this amazing sculpture park, I needed to spend more than the hour that Tom could spare from his busy schedule.
The Grounds for Sculpture is celebrating 25 years. Tom, told me proudly about the how the park changed, since 1992. “In 25 years the level of effort is truly astounding.” The park was once the New Jersey Fairgrounds and it needed a major makeover. Now it is lush gardens kept by a professional horticulturist, Michael Strengari, and a work crew that are not only caring for the beautiful trees, plants and flowers, but are busy adding new plants and making the park paradisiacal. In fact, the park is actually an arboretum that has both exotic and native plants and a variety of animals too. One thing that really surprised me were the colorful peacocks strutting around. It seems that children are especially captivated by these majestic birds.
Tom began the tour by taking me to an indoor gallery, the East Gallery, where I viewed the Elyn Zimmerman exhibition, Wind, Water, Stone. This amazing exhibition displayed some of her photographs that were in black and white and gave us biographical information that helped explain the artist’s trek from photography and film to sculpture. In the same room and in the park were immense stone sculptures, which according to Tom took amazing measures to move into place. Her work, “Triad,” is inside the gallery. It consists of both smooth and roughly cut granite and is interesting from all angles of sight. She calls the exhibit Wind, Water, Stone because “...wind moves water and water carves stone ...” Tom told me many details about her life and to help me understand her creative past, he told me that she was in the same film class at UCLA as Jim Morrison and George Lucas.
Stepping out of the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts I was confronted with a huge sculpture by Andrzej Pitynski, 'Space, Conquer or Die - Swiatowid'. Swiatowid was a pagan god, once worshipped in Europe. The four faces of this monumental work stands 36.5 feet high by 16 feet wide on a gray granite base, represent sun deity, lord of war, peace, and prosperity. There are three reliefs under the faces, which show us life, love, war and Swiatowid on his horse. Seeing this large bronze sculpture made me appreciate Tom’s ability to get and install art. But I hadn’t seen anything yet. It gets too incredible to even describe.
The walking tour took me through a path completely shaded by overhanging tree branches. This is the Maple Allee, a romantic path. While walking through it I saw a peacock. Near the Maple Allee I saw two works by Jonathan Hertzel, “Smoking Root” and “The Gathering,” both made of cast bronze representing figures that emerged from the ground. A piece that I found very interesting is 'To Marcel Duchamp, 1887-1968, Artist, Tool and Die Maker’ by
William T. Wiley. This sculpture consisted of a perfect stainless steel pyramid connected to a stainless steel sphere by a chain. This piece was conceived when the artist got the news of Duchamp’s death to commemorate the artist’s philosophy of art.
There were many realistic statues that amazed me. I sent photos to my fiancé and she did not believe that these were not real people. There were people on a bench, a fisherman and people in a boat. There people walking, standing and sitting. Ponds, pools and sculpture gardens were everywhere. I couldn’t take it all in. As the hour was winding down, Tom took me back to the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts. Outside was a large beautiful sculpture by Seward Johnson himself of a Renoir painting to honor a two-dimensional painting of a couple by the French Impressionist. This was part of the Beyond the Frame Series, which took the art of famous painters as subjects for his sculptor. The bright colors that the French Impressionists used are evident in Seward Johnson’s work.
After getting back from my first tour, I met with Gary Schneider, the executive director. He came to Grounds For Sculpture in May of 2014 and was sought by the Board particularly for his accomplishments as the deputy director of the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, New Jersey. There he made a mark in the areas of audience engagement, education, marketing, visitor services, special initiatives, and museum-wide strategic planning and assessment.
Gary took me into the Member Lounge, which has an excellent view and is comfortable. He sat next me like an old friend and told me about Grounds For Sculpture from his vantage point. The first thing he told me is that the Grounds hosts 225,000 visitors per year. It always had an educational component but Gary is working on making this a priority. There are over 150 volunteers and 5000 members, double the figure since Gary came on board.
Close to Gary’s heart is getting younger people interested in Grounds For Sculpture. He is also interested in diversification. “We are located close to Trenton and we owe the community something.” He hosted a community meet and greet to get to know community leaders and get feedback on how Grounds For Sculpture can be a resource. Programs and art classes along with public school tours are part of this educational effort. Library passes, which can be checked out like a book, are in now over 100 libraries. People checking out these passes can come to Grounds For Sculpture without having to pay the admission fee.
Materials are another way of diversifying. Artist Michael Reese, for example, has integrated his sculpture with digital technology in such a way that someone viewing his art with an iPhone or tablet could see things that cannot be seen in the piece itself. This gives a mixed media that is especially appealing to younger viewers.
Gary Schneider said, “It is rewarding to work at a place where so many find pleasure and enjoyment.” At Grounds For Sculpture there are concerts, outdoor movies, a beer garden, studio tours, poetry readings, and a poetry society even has an interactive project that lets the public create their own poetry. There is a Dance Festival in October. Natural things of interest include coy in the pond, Sacred Lotus Flowers, Peacocks, and all the various gardens full of interesting trees and even some wildlife, like bunnies and an occasional fox. There are several eating places at Grounds For Sculpture, the best known being Rat’s, where Chef Ed Croce creates delicious cuisine.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Ground For Sculpture at 80 Sculptor’s Way, Hamilton, New Jersey. I recommend this wonderful sculpture park to our readers without hesitation. I intend to get a membership for me and my soon-to-be wife. I recommend membership as a way to come to the park as many times as you want and be able to attend events, some of which are only for members. Most memberships include guest cards. For information on membership visit www.groundsforsculpture.org or call 609-586-0616.