Half way between Storm King and Grounds for Sculpture lies Laurelwood Arboretum.
In May of 2019 Scott was approached by a client who sat on the arboretum’s board. A 30-acre botanical gem located at 725 Pines Lake West in Wayne Township, northern New Jersey, Laurelwood features woodland trails and gardens, wildlife, two ponds, streams and hundreds of varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas and other unusual species of plants and trees – – an ideal destination for nature lovers, hikers, runners, birdwatchers, artists, and photographers. It is free to the public and also dog friendly. Begun in 1949 when John and Dorothy Knippenberg purchased parcels of land across the street from their Pines Lake home. They operated their 30-acre woodland, known as Laurelwood Gardens, as a commercial nursery that specialized in rhododendrons and azaleas. They soon became widely known among growers on the East and West coasts for specializing in hybridizing.
The board member, Stuart Reiser and his wife Leslie were very active in fundraising for Laurelwood and wanted to expand upon an earlier art event held at the arboretum. They wanted to create a sculpture trail within the park which would be both a fundraiser as well as bring world class art to Wayne and they knew who to ask to put together such a bold project. That is when they reached out to Scott.
Opening in June of 2021, The Sculpture Trail at Laurelwood Arboretum will include fifteen sculptures in site specific locations chosen by Scott. He has spent well over 70 hours walking the grounds in different seasons noting how the trees and blooming plants offer a setting for each sculpture. The sculptures will be available for sale with a percentage of sales going to the arboretum.
Educational docent tours for children and adults will be developed. Some of the same artist’s you can see in Storm King and Grounds for Sculpture will be found on view at Laurelwood. The funds raised from this project will pay for a deer fence around the arboretum.
Our first sculpture was installed on October 14, 2019. “Iyemoja” by James Tyler is at location 15. The sculpture is made of 125 hand shaped and fired bricks and rests on a four foot tall wood log base. Iyemoja, a major water deity from the Yoruba religion is motherly and strongly protective, which makes her the perfect sculpture to be installed first. We recommend taking a lovely hike through the arboretum and discovering this beautiful sculpture in its setting.
Our second sculpture was installed on June 9. “Oxidized Pod” by Robert Koch was received with great fanfare. This sculpture is in location 5 and I love how the sunken hollow of the brook thrusts the sculpture toward the viewer. This sculpture is all about shadows. The best time to view this sculpture is in the afternoon when the sun adorns the sculpture showing it’s natural forms.
Our third sculpture arrived from Tribeca, New York on Monday, July 13. “Mingus II” by Richard Heinrich. To tell you a secret, my whole curation for Laurelwood Arboretum Sculpture Trail is based on this sculpture, (Drawing in Space). I love how the linear and horizontal lines come together creating a form. Mingus II, a self portrait, we think is brilliant.
October 2020 was a busy month for sculpture installations at the arboretum. We installed three more sculptures. The first of these three was Magic in the Air by Jeffrey Breslow which arrived on October 9. This is the first kinetic sculpture we installed. The base of the sculpture is made of a 1,500 pound piece Vermont Serpentine that comes from a very small hidden quarry in the green mountain state. This boulder was then shipped to his studio in Chicago, the sculpture was created and then shipped to Laurelwood. When one gazes upward, one can delight in the 8 granite boulders frolicking in the air 14 feet above, creating the magic.
Two days later our second piece by James Tyler arrived. Gabriella is composed of 300 hand carved bricks. I love how she is nestled within the evergreens. The green thrusts the yellow color within the sculpture forward to the viewer. Gabriella is a personification of the Brazilian rainforests. Immense and immensely complex, the future history of mankind will be written in these leafy emerald worlds.
October 28 brought the next sculpture, Ring Top Tower by Joel Perlman. This piece is one of the sculptor’s favorites and remained in his private collection for decades. Joel eventually added the rings on the top when his work went from hard edge to circles. The work was now finally completed and made it’s way to Laurelwood Arboretum.
Our seventh sculpture arrived on December 10. Sandalphon by Harry H. Gordon. This 12 foot tall, 12 ton work took us 6 and one half hours to install. I love how the strong vertical and horizontal lines are enhanced by the large trees in the background. This work seems quite at home standing strong within the trees. This is a great example of site specific curation.
I look forward to sharing with you the 8 more sculptures to come and
I invite you to take a stroll through the arboretum and enjoy all it has to offer.
The sculpture trail has been garnering some press;
Sculpture Trail Coming To Wayne’s Laurelwood Arboretum
Sculpture trail ‘elevates the profile’ of Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne
Sculpture Trail at Laurelwood Arboretum Installs Second Work of Art
New Sculpture Garden Being Curated in Laurelwood Arboretum in 2020
The Sculpture Trail Grows at Laurelwood Arboretum
‘Ring Top Tower” Sculpture Installed at Laurelwood Arboretum
Stone Sculpture by Harry Gordon Now on Exhibit at Laurelwood Arboretum