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Grounds for Sculpture
 > North America >East Coast U.S. > New Jersey
18 Fairgrounds Rd., Hamilton, NJ 08619
609.586.0616
www.groundsforsculpture.org
info@groundsforsculpture.org

Fall/Winter 2006/07 Exhibitions

October 8, 2006  – April 29 , 2007

In the Museum:

Manuel Neri: The Figure in Relief

Manuel Neri is primarily known for his life-size figurative sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble.  For over 30 years, Neri has worked with the same model, Mary Julia Klimenko, and his works reflect an interest in the classical form as well as a contemporary approach to sculpture.  Neri’s significance as a sculptor of international note has merited him the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture.

In the Domestic Arts Building, ground floor and mezzanine:

2006 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards

Each year the International Sculpture Center presents an award competition to colleges and universities as a means of recognizing the work of young sculptors.  Professors are invited to nominate their outstanding students to be juried by a panel of art professionals.  This year the jury selected 22 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture winners and 10 Honorable Mentions out of 377 nominees.  The sculptures of the 22 winners will be showcased at Grounds For Sculpture, and the 10 Honorable Mentions will be on exhibit at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey from December 15, 2006 to January 26, 2007.

Steven Siegel: Selections from Wonderful Life

October 8, 2006 – January 7, 2007
Fourteen sculptures selected from Steven Siegel’s Wonderful Life series are on exhibit in the Domestic Arts Building.  Titled after Gould’s book, Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, the series is to be composed of a planned 52 sculptures.  Dedicated to the life and work of Stephen Jay Gould, Siegel’s organic forms are composed of a variety of materials such as twine, polyester, beads, yarn, wire, string, and pillow stuffing.  The works explore evolution and the progression of life.

Focus on Sculpture 2007

January 14 – April 29, 2007 A juried exhibition of photographs all sharing sculpture as subject matter, has become an annual exhibition at the sculpture park.  Focus on Sculpture 2007 presents and promotes sculpture in a unique way—through the art of photography.  Participation in this juried show is open to amateur photographers 18 years of age and older.

New Additions Outdoors in the 35-acre sculpture park are works by Heinz Aeschlimann, Bradford Graves, J. Seward Johnson, John Newman, Kiki Smith, Wayne Trapp and Stefan Vladescu.

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A New Beginning, Terry Karpowicz 9.5' x 3' x 3', Granite and Steel Sponsored by: Mid-North Neighborhood Assoc.

Now in its second year, the Lincoln Park Community Art Initiative (LPCAI) was founded by Vi Daley, Alderman of Chicago’s 43rd Ward, Marilyn Labkon of General Iron, a scrap recycler and Pete Nechipor of A. Finkl & Sons, a metal forger. Working together, they created a non-profit grassroots organization of community groups, businesses, individuals and institutions, to present large scale sculptures in a new and unusual program. Their idea for an annual sculpture exhibit is now a reality.

For the 2003 Exhibit, ten Chicagoland artist’s sculptures were selected by a jury to be sited in areas ranging from contemplative park settings to manufacturing districts, and from quiet residential streets to bustling commercial avenues. The large and mid-size sculptures take on new dimension when viewed in these urban landscapes throughout Chicago’s 43rd Ward. The eye-catching sculptures will remain on display for 12 months.

Chosen artists include: Boban Ilic, Terry Karpowicz, Joan Grippo, Barry Hehemann, Mike Helbing, Evan Lewis, Mike Brown, Nathan Overley, Pat McDonald and Bob Emser.

Although public art has been displayed in Chicago’s Lincoln Park for more than 100 years, Daley became Chicago’s first alderman to spearhead a public art competition. Alderman Vi Daley launched LPCAI last year to support the arts and artists, beautify the area through a distinctive program and set a new standard for community partnerships. To view the existing public sculptures or learn more about the Lincoln Park Community Art Initiative, please visit chicago43rd.org.

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June 2003 - May 2004

The City of Eureka, a small, thriving community in the Illinois heartland, is celebrating the arts during 2003-2004 with a 12-month installation of sculpture. The Eureka Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition features the work of six sculptors including Red Arrow by Barry Tinsley (Chicago), Round Here by Bob Emser (Chicago) Paradox by Susan Griswold (New York City), Thoth by Harry Gordon (Lambertville, NJ), two untitled aluminum sculptures by Brian Monaghan (Chicago) and Perdido Up by Richard Heinrich (New York City).

Mixing innovation and tradition, the sculptures are located to highlight city attractions, including the Main Street Redevelopment Project, the 240 acre Lake Eureka Park and the 148 year-old campus of Eureka College, alma mater of former President Ronald Reagan.

The first pieces in the exhibition were installed in May 2003 to coincide with the eureka! Lilac Festival and Fine Arts Faire, a juried art fair held annually the first weekend in May on the Eureka College Campus (visit www.EurekaLilacs.com for more information).

An artist-led sculpture walk was held in June in celebration of the opening of the year-long exhibition. Docent-guided tours of the sculpture show will be held throughout the upcoming year. Call (309) 467-6123 or visit www.eurekaillinois.net/sculpture.shtml for more information. The exhibition was produced by Modern Sculpture Services (773) 551-8897.

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A small portion of the Sculpture Garden

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Margaret Woodson Fisher Sculpture Gallery, located in Wausau, Wisconsin, is an elegantly landscaped 1.5 acre garden in which meandering brick pathways create organic-shaped islands for the presentation of sculpture.

Since opening the garden in 1995, the Museum has presented a series of temporary exhibitions. The current exhibition, Animal Instincts, comprises 12 bronzes that reveal the nuances of familiar animal species. Artists include Charles Allmond, Tim Cherry, Geoffrey Dashwood, Walt Matia, Gwynn Murrill, Elliot Offner, Leo Osborne, Dan Ostermiller, Rosetta, Sherry Sander, Sandy Scott, and Bart Walter. A brochure accompanies Animal Instincts, which remains on view through October 2003.

In the garden and throughout the grounds are works from the Museum’s permanent collection that emphasize the Woodson’s interest in art of the natural world, particularly birds. Kent Ullberg’s Rites of Spring greets visitors just outside the garden entrance while Deborah Butterfield’s bronze, Kua, welcomes them to the garden proper. Other artists represented in the outdoor collection are Tony Angell, Kenneth Bunn, Burt Brent, Tony Angell, Steve Kestrel, Chapel, Bart Walter, and Shari Salari Sander.

Both the Sculpture Gallery and Museum are open free of charge T-F 9 am-4 pm; Sat-Sun noon-5 pm. Closed Mondays and holidays. Driving directions are available on the Museum’s web site or by calling the Museum. Free parking adjacent to the sculpture garden..

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A viewer reads one of Costa's seven "messages".

May 11 – October 26, 2003

This program takes place at the Katonah, NY…..From May 11 through October 26, the Katonah Museum of Art is featuring a neon installation by the Brooklyn-based artist Pietro Costa in the Marilyn M. Simpson Sculpture Garden. Inspired by the garden’s majestic Norwegian spruce trees, Costa’s site-specific artwork subtly illuminates centuries-old issues pertaining to conflicts and war.

Costa has created an artificial copse of seven fiberglass cylinders of varying widths that are embedded in the earth. Contained within each cylinder is a single word spelled in white neon light. The words are connected to dimmers, which cause them to glow brightly and then fade out. Just as light can be either revealing or blinding, words can be precise or ambivalent, and conflict can be justified or immoral. Costa’s words are in constant flux both physically and metaphorically. They are shifting modifiers, which take on different meanings depending upon context and point of view.

Six of the words relate in pairs: I/You, His/Hers, and Us/Them. The I/You coupling suggests issues of identity and how we perceive others and ourselves. His/Hers connotes ownership, whether of tangible objects, religious beliefs, or political opinions. Us/Them calls attention to the distinction between people, races, religions, genders, and ethnicities. Perhaps more than any other combination, this word pairing is the most passionately divisive as it implies prejudice and social discord. Costa’s installation prompts viewers to reflect upon issues of personal identification—whom do we define as “us” and “them”—and questions whether there really is a distinction.

The seventh and final cylinder contains the word God. It is the only word spelled in red neon light and it pulses at the speed of a beating human heart. Zealous religious beliefs in God have been the justification for war throughout history. The number of Costa’s cylinders reinforces a spiritual element: God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, hallowing it; the seven sacraments; the seven deadly sins. While examining topographical blueprints of the site in the early stages of developing the project, Costa discovered that seven is the number of trees that once stood on the land where the Museum is now constructed.

The rough, textured surface of the fiberglass cylinder’s exterior resembles tree bark, while the smooth, highly polished interior allows for multiple reflections. There is a mirror at the bottom, which increases the illusion of depth and, by reflecting the face of the viewer, effectively incorporates him or her into the artwork. As the neon words grow fainter, the viewer’s image emerges more clearly. The pulsating words beseech the questions: Whose side are you on? What do you believe? The result is an artwork that, through its seemingly formal nature, questions centuries-old motives for conflict and war, which have particular relevance in today’s fragile world.

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