Warren County NJ Tourism presents BIG CITY GETAWAY

Groundsfor Sculpture

80 SCULPTORS WAY, HAMILTON, NJ 08619

609-586-0616 • GROUNDSFORSCULPTURE ORG

Night Forms

We know this place. We have been there many times, but each time we go it seems like a new and wondrous experience.

It was the same, one chilly evening in January, when we got together with a number of Backroads Rally Alumni – The infamous Southern Contingent as they are so aptly named.

To start off this gathering, which has become an annual tradition, we had booked (far in advance) a table at Rats – GFS’s own on-site restaurant.

Named for the beloved character Ratty from the classic children’s storybook The Wind in the Willows, Rat’s Restaurant will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time into a cozy French countryside café—offering a one-of-a-kind dining experience you will not soon forget.

Daytrip Ideas To Get Out Of The Daily Grind

In fact, this entire experience will have you thinking that you are on another plain of existence.

We had a large group but Rats, and Cole our waiter, easily handled us and our three-hour meal felt like anything but that. But, is that not a sign of a great time with friends?

With appetizers, the main courses, and sweet desserts in our mirrors, we made our way over to the main entrance to Grounds for Sculpture.

Before we stroll into their Night Forms exhibit, let us tell you a bit about this fantabulous sculpture garden’s pedigree.

Grounds For Sculpture was founded by artist and philanthropist Seward Johnson. It opened in 1992 on the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds and was a natural extension of its predecessor, The Johnson Atelier. Hundreds of artists studied and produced work at the Atelier, and Johnson saw the potential of the neighboring bygone fairgrounds as a place where artwork could be sited within the landscape, and visitors could delight in discovering contemporary sculpture.

More than 700 artists have had their work on view here. The collection contains sculptures by 150 artists, including Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, George Segal, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Isaac Witkin, Joyce J. Scott, Willie Cole, and founder Seward Johnson. Many sculptors attribute their roots here, and each year, more artists are offered the unique opportunity to create new site-speci c work for the galleries or outdoors.

At the entrance you will see the immense Seward sculpture Turn of the Century, but once inside it is Double Check – The Survivor that will quickly steal your attention.

In 1982, Seward Johnson completed work on what would become one of his most renowned sculptures. Double Check is the life-size bronze of a businessman sitting on a bench as he sifts through his briefcase, seeming to make nal preparations for an upcoming business meeting in a nearby of ce building. Shortly after it was completed, the work was installed in Liberty Plaza Park, in lower Manhattan. The sculpture soon became a xture in the downtown landscape and, for nearly twenty years, a symbol in honor of the thousands of people who worked every day in New York City’s nancial district.

On September 11, 2001, the association that millions of people made with Double Check, day after day, changed dramatically when the Towers fell.

Seeing a man, covered in ash and in obvious distress, rescue workers, approached in the chaos to offer assistance, only to discover that he was not a man at all, but Seward’s sculpture. Afterward, this sculpture became an icon, as newspaper and magazine photos showed it covered erect in ash and, later, by owers, notes, and candles left there by mourners and rescue workers.

A bronze reproduction is to be found as you enter.

It is well worth taking in and reading every exhibit in the main building - but be prepared to be amazed as you stroll the grounds.

Forty-two acres of wonderment with clear and easily walkable trails that wind in and around the many pieces of art and sculpture to be seen. Many times you yourself become part of the exhibit.

In addition to the many art pieces there are almost 80 different species of trees and if you are a home-grown arborist, the Grounds for Sculpture is worth the afternoon all by itself. The grounds are big and open and even though there have been over three million guests since its opening in 1992 – we have never felt any crowd, nor any feeling of being rushed. The opposite is really the case… as our friend Keene said so succinctly, “When I walk around here, I always feel as if I am not even on Earth, much less New Jersey.” Keene is oh-so-right on this. We were here to take in their second year of winter extravaganza, Night Forms – Innite Wave, which creates an evening landscape of creative exploration through lighting, sound, and video projection mapping, a process which its producer, Klip Collective, pioneered. Designed to provide a dialog with speci c sculptures in the collection, such as Carlos Dorrien’s The Nine Muses and Bruce Beasley’s Dorion, this audio and visual exhibition offers new perspectives on these works and multi-dimensional space.

It is well worth seeing Grounds for Sculpture both during the day and at this night exhibit. Exploring, discovering and being amazed at this ever-changing light and sound show was the perfect way to celebrate the season. This show runs Christmas through early spring.

Grounds for Sculpture is the perfect getaway. We guarantee if you spin your wheels to this wondrous place, you will return again and again. ,