You Know What's Beautiful? Art and the Outdoors

Welcome to the first weekend of daylight saving time. What will you be doing with your extra sunlight hour, especially considering the weather is beginning to cooperate with us?

You'd probably like to be able to check out a place that has impressive views, art and culture, and provides room for everyone to roam—but you really don’t want to be indoors and waste that sunlight.

Grounds For Sculpture, located at 126 Sculptor’s Way in Hamilton Township, makes for an uncompromising compromise. It offers a vast collection of sculpture and architectural elements set in the middle of acres of manicured property. The artwork and the surrounding landscaping come together in a unique and carefully created environment, each element supporting each other to provide an art gallery that is also a park.

Opened in 1992, the attraction has become a destination spot not only for New Jerseyans, but for people from neighboring Pennsylvania and New York (via the New Jersey Turnpike).

Grounds For Sculpture was initiated by sculptor and philanthropist J. Seward Johnson in 1984, with construction beginning in 1989 on what was once the New Jersey Fairgrounds. It has since expanded from an ambitious gallery-garden into a grouping of more than 250 pieces from a wide variety of artists including Kiki Smith, Anthony Caro and New Jersey artist George Segal. Grounds For Sculpture became a not-for-profit organization in 2000.

Saturday, March 12, finds the facility as host for the New Jersey Festival of Electronic Arts from 1 to 8 p.m. Video, electronic music and light displays will all be a part of the event.

That attraction and others are why we've chosen Grounds for Sculpture for this installment of Day Tripper, a weekly look at places out of town, but in reach, and worth the drive.

DAY TRIPPER DIGEST

Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Why it’s Worth the Trip: It’s virtually two destinations in one—a sculpture park and arboretum—and provides an experience few others can provide. Plus, it’s outside! Shake off the winter once and for all with this experience.

How to Get There from Here:    Detailed driving directions

You’ll Probably Get Hungry: Grounds For Sculpture is home to two year-round eateries (Rat’s Restaurant and The Peacock Café) and one seasonal (The Gazebo, open as weather permits). Sculptor’s Way directly connects to Kuser Road, one of the main arteries through Hamilton Township, so if you’re not looking to have your meal near the grounds, try La Villa Ristorante or Padrino’s Bistro.

While You’re in the Area: Maybe you would like to try a round of miniature golf or take a swing on the driving range atHamilton Golf Center, stroll through Sayen Botanical Gardens or throw the football around at Veterans Park. All these are in close proximity to Grounds For Sculpture.

Coby Green-Rifkin, director of marketing for Grounds For Sculpture, pointed to an increase in visitors to the facility, from 106,000 in 2009 to 146,000 in 2010. Part of that is due to interest in area activities during rough economic times, she said.

However, Green-Rifkin was quick to add that the Grounds for Sculpture has more to offer than simply an affordable, local attraction.

“We’re a 35-acre sculpture park and arboretum,” she said, although that number will be changing later this year. “We’ve just acquired seven more acres, so we will be expanding our park from 35 to 42 acres with our inaugural exhibition on that seven acres in August or September.”

Thegrounds  are maintained by a combination of groundskeepers and conservators.

“Landscaping is integral (to the facility) as much of the work is site-specific in a way to frame out the sculpture,” Green-Rifkin said. A team of arborists and landscape maintenance workers carefully handle the plant life while members of sister-organization The Sculpture Foundation maintain the works.

The pieces represent the work of a variety of contemporary artists, including many works by founder J. Seward Johnson. Recent additions include items from Larry Bell’s series of skeletal cast bronze figures, “Sumer 14” and “Sumer 23,” Mark Fredenburg’s granite piece, “Camera Man,” and Khang Pham-New’s “Escutcheon,” in yellow granite.

Grounds For Sculpture has, in addition to Rat’s Restaurant, a gift store named Toad Hall Shop. When asked why there were so many allusions to the book The Wind in the Willows, Green-Rifkin said, “[The book] is a favorite of Mr. Johnson’s. There are some similarities between his personality and the character of Ratty, as they’re both gregarious hosts; they always enjoy a good party and good wine.”

To that end, Rat’s Restaurant offers a Happy Hour Wednesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., which extends to Tuesday through Friday during the summer season. Grounds For Sculpture’s regular operating hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays). Admission prices are $12 per adult, $10 for seniors 65 and older, $8 for attendees aged 8 to 17, and children under 5 gain free admittance.

For more information, visit on the web at: www.groundsforsculpture.org.