Grounds For Sculpture facts for kids

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) is an amazing sculpture park and museum in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. It's a huge place, about 42 acres, which is like 30 football fields! This cool spot was started in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II. His main goal was to help everyone understand and enjoy modern sculpture.

GFS wants people from all backgrounds to feel comfortable with contemporary art. They do this by showing off sculptures, publishing books about art, and offering fun educational programs. They also host special community events. In 2000, GFS became a non-profit group. This means they use money from visitors, art lovers, donations, and grants to keep running. They always have new sculptures to see, including many by Seward Johnson himself and other artists.

Discovering Grounds For Sculpture

In 1984, J. Seward Johnson, who was a sculptor and also helped many good causes, dreamed of creating a public sculpture garden and museum. He wanted to make modern sculpture easy to see and enjoy for everyone. He imagined a place where people could experience art in a relaxed and friendly setting.

Construction on the park began in 1989. It was built on the land where the New Jersey State Fairgrounds used to be. Grounds For Sculpture officially opened its doors to the public in 1992.

Amazing Sculptures to See

The park features sculptures by many famous artists. Some of these include Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. You can also see works by New Jersey artist George Segal.

One of the many resident peacocks shows off for guests.

Some sculptures were even made just for GFS. For example, Magdalena Abakanowicz created Space of Stone. Another New Jersey artist, Isaac Witkin, made Garden State. The park has grown and added new sculptures over time. You can always find a list of current exhibits on their website.

GFS has a collection of over 270 modern sculptures. Many of these are very large! They are placed in beautiful outdoor settings. There are also six indoor art galleries where you can see more amazing pieces.

Supporting the Arts and Community

Since 2000, Grounds For Sculpture has been a non-profit organization. A group of trustees helps make sure the park and museum run well. As a non-profit, GFS relies on support from visitors, art lovers, donations, and volunteers. This support helps them continue offering their programs and activities every year. GFS also helps local charities. For example, in 2016, they held a winter coat drive for Jersey Cares.

In 2013, a website called UntappedCities.com described GFS as an "Impressionist Oasis in New Jersey." They said it was:

one of the world’s most impressive sculpture gardens. While Grounds for Sculpture possesses a wide array of Modernist sculptures and manicured landscapes, they are far from what make it unique. As you’ll see below, Grounds for Sculpture is home to a bizarre set of sculptural recreations of Impressionist paintings.

Fun Activities and Events

During the Pokémon Go craze in 2016, GFS even hosted "Catch 'Em All Tours." These tours were made just for Pokémon players! The museum announced that it had forty PokéStops and four Pokémon gyms on its property.

In January 2017, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton and the Princeton Photography Club worked together. They held an exhibition called A Grounds For Sculpture History: The Land in Pictures and Words. This exhibit showed how the park changed over time.

The works in the exhibit tell the story of how the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds became Grounds For Sculpture, beginning in 1984 when the Atlantic Foundation purchased 12 acres of the old fairgrounds property adjacent to the Seward Johnson Atelier. From this site emerged founder Seward Johnson’s dream of a park that would become an oasis and respite for all visitors. His goal of creating a place where contemporary sculpture would be accessible to everyone continues today.

Famous Sculptures at GFS

In July 2013, a very famous sculpture by Seward Johnson, called Forever Marilyn, moved to GFS. This giant statue of Marilyn Monroe had been in Palm Springs, California. It stayed at GFS until September 2015 as part of a special exhibit honoring Johnson's work.

Another huge sculpture by Johnson, called Unconditional Surrender, was also on display. This 25-foot tall sculpture looks just like the famous V-J Day in Times Square photograph. That picture was taken during the V–J day celebration in Times Square.

Rat's Restaurant

There's a restaurant called Rat's Restaurant right on the grounds of GFS. Seward Johnson designed it to look like an Impressionist painting, especially like the work of Claude Monet. The area around the restaurant has Johnson's own sculptures inspired by Impressionist art. You can see a bridge over a lily pond, which is a tribute to Monet's painting Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge. The restaurant is named after "Ratty," a character from Kenneth Grahame's book The Wind in the Willows. This is one of Seward Johnson's favorite books!

Gallery

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  A peacock showing off its feathers.

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  A sculpture at Grounds For Sculpture.

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  Beautiful plants and trees at the park.