Saturday, July 11, 2009

Grounds for Sculpture

Today John and I spent about 3 hours walking the 35 acres of Hamilton Twp.'s Grounds for Sculpture. For lack of a more sophisticated response, it was AWESOME.

We first watched a short movie in the visitor's center about the history and evolution of the Grounds, which has expanded on the original site of the NJ state Fairgrounds. They have a really diverse collection of permanent sculpture in the outdoors grounds, and two seasonal featured artsists in two of the buildings. What was most interesting to me, aside from the art obviously, was what pieces John was drawn to versus what I was drawn to.




John and some big rocks.











I love the framing of the tree in the middle of this huge rock wall.



























The lady on the hill. Reminds me of Mary Poppins.






























A running theme at the park was realistic sculptures of Victorian people who were equal parts eerie and intriguing.











Probably my favorite sculpture we saw all day. Not just because it's from Shakespeare--give you one guess--but because it is just absolutely beautiful and full of emotion. Love. It.





If you've got $10, really comfy sneakers, and a few hours, I definitely recommend this as a local staycation. There are three dining options, ranging from cheap noshes at The Gazebo, moderate lunches at the Peacock Cafe, and fine dining at Rat's.
Speaking of, why is it called Peacock Cafe? Well...
The place was busting with peacocks, including ths family. I had never seen a baby one before! So cute!

Till next time and the next adventure, ciao!

1 comment:

Tara Ronda said...

I've always wanted to go there - now I'm inspired even more to go. I guess I kind of thought it was like a boring place you just walked through and then went home. But it looks really interesting - kinda reminds me of this outdoor exhibit in D.C., which I think is owned by the Smithsonian or something.

Speaking of peacocks, a huge gaggle of Canada geese was crossing the parking lot at work this morning (in line, of course, and proudly holding up traffic, of course). I found myself thinking, "Maureen would appreciate this."