Saturday 12th August
Heavy cloud this morning with some rain overnight, it has cleared up enough for us to continue with our plans today to visit with Troy and Heather “Grounds for Sculpture”. In 1984, J. Seward Johnson, sculptor and philanthropist, famous for his larger than life sized sculpture of a sailor and nurse kissing at the close of World War Two. Known as the “Embracing Peace” monument, today it is situated on San Diego Harbours shores. Seward Johnson envisioned a public sculpture garden and art museum in Hamilton, New Jersey. His desire was to make contemporary sculpture accessible to people from all walks of life so that they could become comfortable with that form of art.
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Construction on the sculpture park began in 1989 on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds; Grounds For Sculpture opened to the general public in 1992. The park is now exhibiting over 270 works, including sculptures by many renowned artists. The park covering 42 acres is a not for profit venture originally funded from government tax free bonds and is now supported by art patrons, visitors and private donations to maintain the beautifully manicured gardens and sculptures.
The morning is still muggy, when we leave, but the overcast cloud cover is high confirming the low chance of rain forecast for today. The journey takes us across the Delaware river and into New Jersey through Trenton a once busy industrial centre, now decimated by unemployment and social issues. It has a largely African American and Puerto Rican population with some Italian, Irish and Polish as well as other minorities. We reach nearby Hamilton and our destination in about 35minutes. Heather knows the area well having grownup nearby, she is still amazed that such a cultured venue was so close and she never new it.
The surrounding businesses all reflect an industrial nature but as we turn into the approach to the grounds the greenery intensifies, up ahead we can see a group of people waving and holding banners of welcome to the park. As we grow closer we realise that they aren’t actually moving and that they are indeed life size sculptures of everyday human beings acting out a warm welcome.
We find a park and enter the museum through the main doors, there are a few exhibits inside but much more outside. Inside there is historical information about Seward Johnson and his wife Joyce Horton a novelist. Also a life size sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in that famous pose where her dress is blown upwards while she stands over a subway ventilation grate. Also a jazz band scene where the musicians are in full swing in a nightclub, visitors can interact with the figures, seating at the piano or just sitting at one of the tables. The most striking piece though is a life size diorama in a silvery grey, that depicts a man seating on a bench in New York City, surrounded by thousands of ashen fallen papers that had just settled after the twin towers had exploded from the impact of the terrorist attack on September 11th 2001. His briefcase open, the papers appear to be emanating from the case, every detail in the scene is made to appear as if covered by a silvery grey dust.
Venturing outside the journey of imagination begins, with a live peacock strutting around a group of granite blocks formed in a circle with large timber planks resting on more smaller granite blocks that act as benches. This overlooked by a huge reclining nude woman on a chaise lounge with a black cat, back arched in a classic cat stretch.
Then an enormous, one has to say phallic, four sided column stretches into the sky, bronze figures of knights from a fantasy world adorn each side of the column, the crowning top of which is the helmeted four sided head of King Lear.
From here pathways lead out in every direction, each one to a new sculpture, hidden from view until you happen upon its space, some of enormous proportions, some small. The gardens create rooms in which the sculptures are encapsulated, you move from room to room via new pathways with a new surprise awaiting around every corner. As we round a curved path a man made Lake filled with sacred lotus stretches ahead of us, a mythical lake creature’s head poking above the sea of vivid green lotus leaves, pink tipped white flowers, buds and green seed pods.
Nearby set in green lawns, humanoid shapes of stacked metal stand or sit on rocks, inviting you to have your picture taken with them. Next a huge polished laminated timber ovoid shape sits upon a polished stainless steel base, looking like a futuristic space ship, in fact named Spatz spaceship.
Down another pathway a twisted stainless steel archway, named Sagg Portal with a seemingly knotted top invites you through to another unseen surprise.
Then a stand of bamboo beckons you inside to a dark clearing within, where a multi coloured diorama, again of a reclining nude, sits among a garden of Eden scene with lions poking their heads through the multicoloured flora.
Exiting along another path a young Asian lady sits feet up on a garden bench reading a book, her flip flops on the ground below her.
Around another corner a geometric tripodal stainless steel sculpture sits in a reflective pond looking again like a spacecraft that might take off at any moment.
Figures embrace in a quiet space, a Victorian couple sit talking overlooking a huge lake that connects to the Delaware river, while a painter paints the scene from above.
A couple of more modern figures at the lakes shore, the woman holding binoculars to her eyes while the male points across the lake at something he has spotted.
A group of Victorian Spanish looking ladies cavort in another clearing within a thicket of trees of which the bark itself has sculptural elements.
We take a path winding round the lake, here there are table settings overlooking the water, we come across a lagoon with a moored boat and figures on the shore and in the water.
Then from there inward from the lake I emerge from one pathway to stumble on an unexpected scene, a naked woman is sitting on a rug in a clearing with a male sitting opposite, the woman is looking at me, embarrassed I turn away for a split second thinking I have stumbled on a private moment, before turning back around as my mind catches up with my eyes and the figures become the motionless 3D painting that they represent.
Further around the lake the famous Renoir painting “Luncheon of the Boating Party” is faithfully recreated in amazing 3D, you can immerse yourself literally into the painting, moving about the characters at will. We have wandered around this incredible place for several hours, now taking in the art and the wonderful park/garden setting, time for lunch is growing near.
Lunch is at Rats restaurant named after “Ratty” of the children’s novel Wind in the Willows fame, we locate the direction that we need to go in and make our way towards the venue. As we approach there are more boating scenes and then the vista that opens up to us is breathtaking, a small waterfall shores up a lake that is filled with peach coloured water lilies, the water cascading down from the lake under our feet to the larger lake below. A giant sculpture of a woman’s head in silver sits in the water, mist generated from the base of the head drifts across the lake and water lilies, giant Koi fish frolic in the waters. Overlooking the lake is the restaurant, a pink sandstone rendered building with gable roofs and pergolas covering the patio as well as marquee’s under which elegant tables are set for lunch. The area is a reproduction of the painter Monet’s garden and as we move around the lake an upward arching green bridge crosses the lake reflecting a rippled image on the almost still waters. Tall bushes with sprays of tiny pinkish flowers frame the bridge that has a backdrop of greenery from the trees on the far bank, stunningly beautiful!
Once at the restaurant we are shown to our table, front row to the stunning view across the lily layered water to the bridge. Only the giant colourful Koi disturb the still waters with their tails as we sit and gaze at a view that is hard to take your eyes off of.
Lunch at Rats consists of a seafood salad for me and a hamburger for her, fairly regular menu fare here in the US. Nicely presented and cooked, Amanda’s served with a food item that has become a favourite since arriving in the US from Hawaii to San Diego and now New Jersey, smoked applewood bacon. Usually seen at breakfast but now with her lunch, I commandeer a piece for research purposes just to see if it is the same as the breakfast version, it is.
Just behind where Heather is sitting a little boy stands motionless watering a pot plant, he keeps catching my eye, so real, disconcerting.
While we eat a wedding party are having photos taken on Monet’s bridge, a small platoon of photographers are capturing every angle. The bride certainly looks fabulous perched on the bridge like a princess awaiting her prince.
After lunch we we wander back out into the park leaving this unforgettable space to view a few more exhibits, there are just too many to list here, some playful, some intimate, some serious and deep but all beautifully presented, then reluctantly it’s time to head home.
Once at home we skip dinner and settle in with a glass of wine to watch the weekends football game between Adelaide and Essendon, the result a win for the Crows, although Essendon played well they were no match for an Adelaide team in form and playing their best aggressive football style.
Weary after a great day we make for our beds and a new day tomorrow.