Watch Our School Sculpture Garden Grow

Click here for the How to Create a School Sculpture Garden Manual

The International Sculpture Center (ISC) proudly announces the launching of the “Watch Our School Sculpture Garden Grow” Web Pages on our website. Over the next year, we will continue to update the progress of this exciting educational project. The School Sculpture Garden Project is a partnership between three Hamilton, New Jersey based educational organizations, International Sculpture Center (ISC) , Nottingham High School and Grounds For Sculpture.

The students of Nottingham High School are working with the ISC and Grounds For Sculpture and transforming an unused interior courtyard (85’x169’) into a magnificent sculpture garden. This project has replication possibilities for educational settings throughout New Jersey, across the United States and around the globe.

Our research indicated that many schools built throughout the United States after l960 have similar spaces and that many of these spaces are dormant. The project is funded in part through the generosity of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with in-kind support from the ISC, Grounds For Sculpture and Nottingham High School. Additional support is being provided by students, faculty, administrators, parents, and members of the school community, including the business sector.

The project will transform the existing courtyard space into a sculpture garden, outdoor classroom, and public sculpture venue for the community. Announcements of this project appeared previously in Sculpture Magazine. (October 2002 and July/August 2003).

Nottingham High School Phase I Model for the School Sculpture Garden Project.

How The Project Started

The students were inspired to create this space as a result of their work on UP CLOSE: A FOCUS ON CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE (a high school contemporary sculpture curriculum) and numerous visits to Grounds For Sculpture, a magnificent 35-acre sculpture park and garden . Brooke Barrie, Curator and Director of Grounds For Sculpture; Brian Carey, Landscape Designer for Grounds For Sculpture; and Christine Finkelstein, former Curator of Education at Grounds For Sculpture provided motivation for students as they began designing their projects. Landscape Architect Herbert Sensi ASLA, Architect James Foran AIA, and Landscape Contractor John Hoagland also worked directly with the students throughout the design process.

Coming Attractions!

During the 2003 academic year, the partners will design and develop an on-line "How To Create A School Sculpture Garden" manual. The manual will detail what has been learned about creating a school sculpture garden. Check out the manual, by following the link above.

Background

Consultants and Nottingham High School Students in discussion about the School Sculpture Garden Project.

During the 2001 - 02 school year, Nottingham High School sculpture and architecture students worked in teams to create designs. There were no limits placed on their creativity. Students presented their designs to each other and to the School Sculpture Garden Advisory Committee. Our consultants critiqued the work and completed a cost analysis of each design. A second student committee was selected for the 2002 - 2003 school year. This committee was comprised of two students involved in creating the initial team designs and two new students, completed the Herculean task of examining the student designs, reviewing the consultants’ recommendations, and finally designing the initial stage of the garden. The student design is simple yet flexible allowing for future work in the space as funds become available. The students drew their design using CAD software and completed a model for public viewing.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Mayor of Hamilton Township, Glen Gilmore and Carol Sterling, ISC Education Consultant at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Nottingham High School Sculpture Garden Project.

On June 3, 2003 Mayor of Hamilton Township, Glen Gilmore joined Hamilton Township School Board members, administrators, faculty, parents, students along with , Jan Wilson, Art Educator and Department Chair at Nottingham High School, Neil Campeas, Principal, Nottingham High School , Jeff Nathanson, Former ISC President/Executive Director; Carol Sterling, ISC Education Consultant, Brooke Barrie, Grounds For Sculpture Curator and Director; Christine Finkelstein Former GFS Curator of Education, Aylin Green, GFS education staff, Isaac Witkin, sculptor; and project donors in a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of our construction phase.

During the ceremony on behalf of ISC, Jeff Nathanson accepted the Nottingham High School Northstar Award for Community Partnership. Brooke Barrie accepted the award for Grounds For Sculpture.

Construction began with the replacement of one of the single courtyard entrance doors by a wide double door. This measure was critical to provide adequate access for equipment.

Further updates and the announcement of the completion of the web manual will be found in this location on the International Sculpture Center’s website throughout the remainder of this project. It is our sincere hope that this project will inspire other schools, community organizations, and businesses to create similar areas that will continue to support the ISC mission to advance the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique vital contribution to society.