With the return of Spring comes the return of my Day-Tripping Series. This week I made use of my new GPS system–oh, how I love it when she tells me in her British accent to “Get on the motorway”–and headed north to Hamilton, NJ to Grounds for Sculpture which is a mere forty-five minute drive from the immediate South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia.
The website for this beautifully landscaped outdoor park of sculpted and artistic wonders claims there is an entrance fee, but I walked onto the grounds freely, and I imagine so did all the children and their parents and teachers traipsing about. The park has a gentrified zoo-like feel to it with people milling about and kids shouting, but luckily the grounds are vast enough that you can still capture a few good shots without having somebody walk into frame. Apart from the sculptures on display, there are also plenty of quiet hidden paths to meander about away from the fray of the main walkways.
Here are some photos I captured on my walkabout Grounds for Sculpture:
Written and photographed by David H. Schleicher
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Check out past entries from my Day-Tripping Series for those in the greater Philadelphia area looking for something other than the typical city attractions or Atlantic City:
The Schleicher Spin 
I absolutely LOVE visiting the Grounds for Sculpture! I’ve visited over a handful of times and find new things that I never noticed before every time! I love the way that they’ve weaved some paintings into the scenery and let you become part of them in a way. Absolutely a brilliant place!
Allison, I was very impressed by the grounds…even how they had trees and bushes landscaped could be considered sculpture…and I loved how every little detail (like the sailboat on the water) was part of the art of the place. –DHS
What lovely pictures, locales and breathtaking shots of nature. I also looked at the link on Wyeth too.
I also do love to visit exhibitions, and earlier in the year I wrote a piece for WitD on the Turner exhibit in Manhattan, and when Allan Fish was here staying with us for three weeks in December, we all treked over to MOMA and saw the Van Gogh nightime paintings show, which of course was extraodinary and spectacular.
But what you have done here is to incorporate the locales for inspiration–you’ve taken conventional spectator involvement to more penetrating level, as the previous commentor suggested with ‘weaving the paintings into the scenery.”
You are reporting on your visit to paradise here. And just to think that I live on the other end of the Garden State myself. You have unearthed it’s beauties.
Sam, I would’ve loved that Van Gogh show. Jersey always gets knocked for not having any nice scenery or natural beauty, but you just have to know where to go and where to look…there’s wonderful things to be found in any environment. –DHS