newscasting - GFS Member Newsletter - Fall Winter 2017

newscasting Fall/Winter 2017

THE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK:

Preview the Fall/Winter Artistic Season

Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths Scenes from GFS’ 25th Anniversary Gala and AFTERGLOW How do you imagine GFS in 25 years?

Meet the Member Staff Reflections

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welcome 9.17 A

features

s we continue the celebration of Grounds For Sculpture’s 25th Anniversary year, we reflect on our history and growth, but also evaluate our present impact and look to the future.

GFS’ most loyal supporters—our individual and family members, business partners and volunteers—play a key role in the success, sustainment and shaping of GFS for future generations, and we hope you’ll help us look forward to the next twenty-five years of GFS. As a staff member and supporter of GFS, I am a stakeholder myself. I look forward to the role GFS continues to play in the local community and art world—providing opportunities to working artists and our local schools, and presenting exhibitions and programs that awe, spark curiosity, challenge and prompt conversations to move the art world and our communities forward.

What does Grounds For Sculpture mean to you? What do you look forward to at GFS? How do you imagine GFS in 25 years?

We invite you to share your GFS memories and stories, as well as your hopes and dreams for Grounds For Sculpture’s future, at www.groundsforsculpture. org/membershare.

Claire Cossaboon Manager of Membership ccossaboon@groundsforsculpture.org

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW

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EDUCATION

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SCENES FROM GFS 25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Share your member story at groundsforsculpture.org/membershare by December 1 for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the Museum Shop!

CONNECT WITH GFS

ISC Artists in Residence facebook.com/ groundsforsculpture

Nooshin Hakim Javadi, Life is the aggregation of all moments of desires, 2017, Two identical airplane wings in two different forms, 25.6 ft

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his summer, in partnership with the International Sculpture Center and the Atlantic Foundation, GFS was delighted to host its first ever ISC Artists in Residence, Shawn Creeden and Nooshin Hakim Javadi. The residency was an exciting new experiment for all involved and a wonderful way to honor our twenty-five year history as a place created for artists, by artists. For six weeks, Creeden and Hakim Javadi resided on the GFS campus and were given access to studio space in the Motor Exhibits Building. The two took to the surroundings quickly, and staff across GFS sincerely enjoyed and appreciated the creative energy and thinking they injected into an already vibrant summer season.

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Shawn Creeden, Bower 35, 2017, Mixed media with living plants, 48” x 68” x 26”

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Shawn Creeden and Nooshin Hakim Javadi

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COVER: Joyce J. Scott, Buddha (Earth), 2013, hand-blown Murano processes with beads, wire, and thread, 27.5 x 11.25 x 11.5 inches, Collection of Goya Contemporary, Baltimore, MD. GROUNDSFORSCULPTURE.ORG

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exhibition preview Faith McClellan • Director of Collections & Exhibitions Management

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Joyce J. Scott, Ancestry/Progeny, 2008, porcelain figures and glass beadwork, dimensions variable, Collection of Goya Contemporary Gallery, Baltimore.

Joyce J. Scott, Shhhhh!, 2012, Nigerian wooden object, plastic and glass beads, thread, drawing, and fabric, 35 x 20 x 20 inches, Collection of the Contemporary Art Society of the Tucson Museum of Art.

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Joyce J. Scott, Sex Traffic, 2014, hand-blown Murano glass processes with metal, beads, thread and leather, 76 x 16 x 9.5 inches, Collection of Goya Contemporary Gallery, Baltimore. The exhibition includes more than half a dozen works which incorporate hand-blown glass created at the Berengo Studio in Murano, Italy.

ithin Grounds For Sculpture’s contemporary art collection more than 100 works can be found that depict the human form in some way. From Seward Johnson’s playful and evocative ‘Celebrating the Familiar’ series, to the linear exaggerated forms of Larry Bell’s Sumer #14 and #23, figurative sculptures offer a way to present humanity in a wide variety of contexts. Continuing in the figurative tradition, this fall GFS is honored to partner with 2016 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Joyce J. Scott to present an exhibition. Scott’s work, which is also largely derived from an interest in presenting figurative elements, comments on themes of social, political, and racial injustices.

Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths, on view at GFS through April 1, 2018, is co-curated by Patterson Sims, former Director of the Montclair Art Museum and Lowery Stokes Sims, former Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design as well as the former Director of The Studio Museum in Harlem. This exhibition includes a survey of over 50 works dating from 1970 through the present year, including a series of textiles created by Scott and her mother, artist Elizabeth Talford Scott.

From her studio in Baltimore, Scott has developed an extraordinary talent for creating intricately woven beaded work, incorporating these beaded elements with glass, textiles, and found objects. The intricacy of her work draws the viewer in, while simultaneously she challenges the viewer to respond to the powerful message contained within it. “Her work is disarming,” says Patterson Sims, who is curating the survey portion of Scott’s exhibition, “but it creates powerful opportunities for difficult, needed dialogue on racial, gender, and economic issues.”

Scott is also creating several new works for this exhibition, working closely with curator Lowery Stokes Sims. Harriet’s Closet is a mixedmedia indoor installation that Lowery Sims describes as Scott’s interpretation of Harriet Tubman’s boudoir. “Rather than recreating an actual space, each object in the installation is meant to evoke an aspect of Tubman’s personality: a beaded hat, an embellished rifle, as well as some feminine objects like slippers, a dress and shawl.”

In the Water Garden, Scott will install a 10 foot avatar of Harriet Tubman, milled in foam, to be paired with Scott’s beaded work Lynched Tree which will be hanging near it. Scott will also be working with artist Cliff Ward to create a second outdoor work, a towering 15 foot soil and clay Harriet Tubman figure, which will also include cast resin and beaded elements. This figure is designed to erode over the course of the exhibition. The creation of these works will offer new challenges for an artist who has already been enjoying a sustaining and lauded career in the arts. As Lowery Sims said,“This installation and these new sculptures will expand the parameters of Scott’s creative enterprise and project it into new horizons for the future.”

This exhibition is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Bank of America, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, The Coby Foundation, LTD., Rotasa Foundation, Goya Contemporary, Shirley and Arthur Martin Family Fund, Mobilia Gallery and by the following Exhibition and Education Supporters: Jacqueline Copeland, Gordon and Lulie Gund, Barbara Lawrence and Allen Laskin, and Alan White.

education Heather Brady • Director of Education & Engagement Glass Flameworking Workshop

Photo courtesy of GlassRoots

An Evening with Sarah Dash: Live In Concert with Full Band Friday, October 27 at 8pm

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his fall, the exploration of glass as a medium in contemporary sculpture that began with Daniel Clayman’s Radiant Landscape exhibition expands with the arrival of Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths, and opportunities to better understand the possibilities of this material will occur through on-site demonstrations and hands-on workshops. In October, friends from Newark’s GlassRoots, an organization that focuses on engaging underserved youth and young adults in the transformative power of the glass art experience, will be at GFS demonstrating glassblowing techniques and introducing us, through a special, limited capacity workshop, to the process of flameworking. Our annual, ever popular Cassandra Jackson, Handblown Glass Ornament workshops will also be returning this Scholar in Residence year, with three programs scheduled in November and December.

At the same time, we look forward to presenting an array of programs that will encourage guests of every age and background to consider, discuss, and engage the historic and timely themes embedded in the Scott exhibition. Many of these events will take place in the Domestic Arts Building, as we create an ongoing series of in-gallery community programs supported, in part, by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. This is work we are excited to do with guidance from GFS’ first-ever Scholar in Residence, Dr. Cassandra Jackson and in partnership with local artists, educators, and community groups. Dr. Jackson, an author, Professor at The College of New Jersey, and Visiting Professor at Princeton University, has been working with us to develop a diverse menu of programming, including book clubs, gallery-based conversations and presentations, and hands-on workshops and demonstrations. Learn more about what’s on the schedule by checking the GFS website; we hope to see you often!

Also not to be missed this fall is an evening bringing Joyce J. Scott, who received the prestigious MacArthur ‘Genius’ award in 2016, together with David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post National Enterprise Editor and Reporter and fellow from the MacArthur class of 2012. The conversation between these two remarkable individuals will provide an intimate opportunity to learn more about Scott’s lifelong desire to provoke and encourage conversations on topics including race, gender, violence, and equity through sculpture.

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On Friday, October 27th at 8pm, GFS welcomes Trenton’s own legendary goddess of Soul, Funk, and Disco – Sarah Dash – to our beautiful East Gallery. Sarah Dash has forged a long-standing career beginning, most notably as a founding member of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, and eventually morphing into the LaBelle of the 70’s with their mega-hit “Lady Marmalade.” Among her lengthy singing and songwriting career, she has worked with some of the greatest and most recognizable names in pop, rock, and R&B, including The Rolling Stones, The Marshall Tucker Band, Alice Cooper, Wilson Pickett, and Bo Diddley.

As even a cursory glance at Sarah Dash’s accomplishments reveals a woman steeped in music, who has lived through the ever changing trends and times in the world of entertainment, she remains as vital and vibrant as ever, further enduring as one of Trenton’s most royal and beloved voices.

Tickets for this one-night-only engagement are $25 for GFS Members and $30 for non-Members. Check email after September 1st for access to a Members Only Presale.

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news

member events calendar For more information or to register for these events, please call (609) 586-0616.

17th annual Epicurean Palette Sunday, September 24, 1pm-4pm A celebration of fine food and beverage that helps support the exhibitions and educational initiatives at GFS! Stroll the grounds while sampling extraordinary cuisine from the area’s finest chefs and a wide variety of wine, beer and spirits from local purveyors. GFS members receive a $50 discount on tickets! Tickets and info at epicureanpalette.org.

First Fridays @ GFS September 1, October 6 – 5pm-9pm Looking for something different to do on Friday nights? Grab a drink in our open air beer garden and enjoy a variety of other fun happenings as you unwind. Monthly program schedules available at groundsforsculpture.org. Free admission for Members!

New Member Orientation Sunday, October 8 GFS membership introduction; includes light refreshments and docent-led tour. Program begins promptly at 11am.

Fall/Winter Member Preview Day Saturday, October 21 – 10am-2pm Enjoy a members-only opportunity to preview the artistic season and new exhibition Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths. Members may use Guest Passes to bring additional guests, or members can purchase guest tickets for $18 each. RSVP’s are not required, but specific programs require registration.

Gates open at 9:30am. Present your current membership card, or join upon entry.

More info at groundsforsculpture.org.

Members’ Musing

In addition to supporting the arts, many GFS members are gifted artists themselves. The 8th Annual Members’ Musings exhibition is on view October 21 - December 3, 2017 in the Education Center gallery.

Member trip to Washington D.C. Wednesday, October 25 Join us for an autumn day-trip to Washington, D.C.! Visit the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to recognizing women’s creative contributions. Then, explore the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History & Culture, the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. Limited space! Members-only price $115, includes transportation between GFS, admission and refreshments.

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Glassblowing with GlassRoots Saturday, October 28 Watch master glassblowers demonstrate traditional postures, techniques and forms of blown glass as they take 2000-degree molten glass from a liquid state to a sculpted object. Program is free with admission.

Art Salon with Mark Mennin Thursday, November 2 – 11am-2pm Mark Mennin has traveled the world to perfect the art of sculpting.

From his time teaching ceramics at Princeton University to his intensive stone-carving training in Italy, Mennin has dedicated himself to honing his skills. Today based in Connecticut, his work has evolved to giant landscape and architectural works, involving hundreds of tons of granite. Learn more from Mennin during an exclusive three-course meal at Rat’s Restaurant.

Conversations on Creativity: An Evening with Isabel Allende Thursday, November 9 In partnership with the Princeton Public Library, we welcome renowned Chilean author Isabel Allende to GFS this fall. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Allende’s most recent novel, In the Midst of Winter, will be released in North America this fall. For more info, please visit groundsforsculpture.org.

MacArthur Fellows in Dialogue: Joyce J. Scott and David Finkel Friday, November 17 Join us for this very special conversation between exhibiting artist and 2016 MacArthur Fellow Joyce J. Scott and 2012 MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post National Enterprise Editor and Reporter, David Finkel. Learn more at groundsforsculpture.org.

Art Salon with Seward Johnson Wednesday, December 6 – 11am-2pm Spend an afternoon with visionary Seward Johnson, the creator of the Beyond the Frame series, and founder of the Seward Johnson Atelier, The Atlantic Foundation, and Grounds For Sculpture. Enjoy food and drinks at the Cecelia Joyce and Seward Johnson Gallery as Seward Johnson reflects on his life, career and legacy.

Save the Dates for our next member trips: Grand Rapids & Detroit, Michigan May 21-25, 2018 Toronto, Ontario October 12-16, 2018 GROUNDSFORSCULPTURE.ORG

member reflections

Last season, GFS and the United Way of Greater Mercer County partnered to combat summer hunger in their shared communities.

On May 17, GFS members took a sunny trip to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a visionary art environment created by Isaiah Zagar using nontraditional materials such as folk art statues, found objects, colorful glass bottles, handmade tiles and thousands of glittering mirrors. GFS Members enjoyed a guided tour and a special artist talk with Zagar among the immersive outdoor art installation and indoor galleries.

On Saturday, July 22, members attended GFS Family Breakfast, a special event for Family-level members and above. Families enjoyed breakfast, familyfocused tours and made their own artistic compositions using pastels. We also had a special appearance by GFS’s own Perry the Peacock!

Visit the Member Lounge!

Thursdays – Sundays, 1:00 – 4:00pm Located in a bright corner of the SJCA building overlooking the gardens, the Member Lounge is an inviting space for members to take a break with a complimentary cup of coffee or tea, generously provided by Whole Foods.

Read the latest museum publications, learn about upcoming programs and trips for members, or connect with a staff member.

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At the end of the school year, children receiving free/ reduced breakfasts and lunches no longer have access to those free meals. For many children, summer break means dealing with the stress and insecurity of not knowing how or when they will have their next meal.

The summer season is particularly busy at food banks as families try to bridge the gap between their income and food needs. On June 27, GFS staff joined the United Way of Greater Mercer County’s team of over 52 event staffers, 27 partners and sponsors, and 38 teams of 600 participants for the Strike Out Hunger event at Sun Bank Arena. During the one-day event, volunteers packaged over 178,000 healthy oatmeal breakfasts, which were distributed to families in need across New Jersey. For suggestions on what you can do to make a difference, please visit www.uwgmc.org.

On the last Sundays in June, July and August, GFS members enjoyed a brand new benefit of membership—Member Mornings. On these select mornings, GFS opens early for members to catch the morning light before summer heat and the general public are admitted starting at 10am. Member Mornings are a new perk just for members on the last Sunday of months April-August. No reservations are required for members to visit. Members may use Guest Passes to bring additional guests. Docent-led tour available at 9am. Register for tour upon arrival at Guest Services.

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Grounds For Sculpture’s 25th Anniversay Gala

Photos by dmhphotographer.com

An Evening of Illumination • June 10, 2017

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AFTERGLOW

Photos by S. Bola Okoya

Our 25th Anniversary Party, hosted by the GFS Young Professionals

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support

GFS rolls out new Business Partner Program Your company can join a special group of business leaders in our community who care deeply about keeping the arts alive in New Jersey! The Grounds For Sculpture Business Partner Program (BPP) represents an exciting and significant partnership between area businesses and art in our community. The business community’s membership and participation play an invaluable part in GFS’s growth and success by helping GFS to present new exhibitions, financially sustain its permanent collection and enhance its programs for children and adults. Enjoy the privileges of support – gain visibility for your business and enhance the quality of life for the public, your clients, and your employees. To show our appreciation we offer a wide variety of benefits for each member of the GFS Business Partner Program. Some of the newest Business Member benefits include: • Exclusive event hosting opportunities • Business Member Appreciation Day with free access for all employees • Tickets to Epicurean Palette • Access to the GFS Business After Business Networking event and much more!

Complete details are available at groundsforsculpture.org/Business-Corporate-Membership For more info or to craft a Business Partnership Program to exclusively meet your business needs, please contact Janis Martin-Hughes at 609-249-0248, or jmhughes@groundsforsculpture.org.

CONNECT WITH US

VOLUNTEER: Volunteering has been shown to have impressive health benefits for people who volunteer regularly.

Guess what? Volunteers are beneficial to the health of organizations as well!

If you are interested in learning more about our volunteer program, go to groundsforsculpture.org/ Get-Involved/Volunteer. We are always looking for people who are committed to the GFS mission, are flexible, and have strong people skills.

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Please consider joining GFS’ supporters in this year’s annual appeal. Visit gfstomorrow.org, or call the Development Office at 609-249-0233 or 609-249-0244.

Brooke Barrie Art Fund Want to help Grounds For Sculpture grow its collection and serve the public? Donate to the Brooke Barrie Art Fund! Named for the first Director and Curator of Grounds For Sculpture, this endowment serves to support acquisitions, conservation care, and exhibition development. To learn more or make a donation, visit www.brookebarrieartfund.org or call the Development Office at 609-249-0244 or

609-249-0233.

The GFS Legacy Society Join the GFS Legacy Society and help support Grounds For Sculpture through Planned Giving.

Through your bequest or other planned gifts, you can ensure that Grounds For Sculpture will continue to fulfill its mission to promote an appreciation and understanding of contemporary art and inspire visitors of all ages for generations to come. For more info, please contact the Development Office at 609-249-0233 or at 609-249-0244.

Did you know you can help support Grounds For Sculpture every time you make an Amazon Prime purchase? To participate, go to smile.amazon.com/ch/22-3694371 and Amazon will give a portion of the proceeds to GFS! GROUNDSFORSCULPTURE.ORG

meet the staff Stephanie Harbison, Manager of HR, joined the GFS team as an employee in February 2016. Prior to that, she worked at GFS as on-site consultant for the human resources consulting firm that had provided GFS support. She brings a fresh perspective to the many varying responsibilities of an HR manager, and is a champion for all of the GFS employees, continually working to standardize hiring, compensation and benefit practices. She is a graduate of Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and still remembers the first time she ever arrived to the GFS campus, and was awed both by the beauty of GFS and the organizational culture. Stephanie and her husband welcomed their fourth child in June.

In her free time, you will most likely find her chasing after toddlers and spending time with friends and family.

Lauren McCalley, Manager of Events, joined the GFS staff in March 2011 as a part-time Event Aide. In her current role, Lauren works full-time as the Manager of Events where she is responsible for coordinating all logistics, A/V needs, facility needs and manages event staff in addition to working closely with Starr Catering to meet client service goals. She is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. Prior to GFS, she worked in the hospitality industry since the age of 14 where she waitressed at multiple restaurants, worked in an ice cream shop, deli and bakery down the shore and then managed a small breakfast café in Langhorne, PA. When she is not working crazy hours, you can find her at the beach, attending a Zumba class, on the golf course or by her pool in her new home! Not only is she planning numerous events for GFS, she is also planning her own wedding and will be getting married on October 7, 2017!

Carolynn McCormack, Manager of Marketing, joined GFS in November 2014 as the Marketing Coordinator. In her current role, she is responsible for oversight of the social media strategy and content, advertiser and media relations, and departmental budget and production.

Carolynn loves working in a beautiful and creative environment where she is constantly learning. Outside of GFS, she fosters for a local animal rescue and pet sits, enjoys travelling to new places, and spending time with family and friends.

Amelia Nichols, Development and Special Events Associate, joined the GFS staff in June 2017. Amelia holds a degree in Art History from Lehigh University, and recently completed her Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Amelia’s professional experience includes coordinating special events, and managing individual donor and corporate sponsorship programs. At the Austin Film Festival she managed sponsorship solicitations, designed social media posts for fundraiser partners, sponsors and donors, assisted with the annual gala, and coordinated smaller VIP events around festival activities. As Visual Programming Manager for Future Tenant, a space located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District that features alternative exhibitions and performances by the region’s emerging artists, Amelia collaborated with artists to execute exhibitions, conducted donor prospect research, and managed the annual fundraiser’s silent auction. Additionally, she served as the Development and Curatorial Intern for the Allentown Art Museum where she conducted audience research, developed educational materials and executed gallery talks.

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Network for a Cause Friday, October 6 5:00-8:30pm Join Grounds For Sculpture Young Professionals (GFSYP) and United Way of Greater Mercer County for an evening of networking and supporting arts programs in Mercer County! Enjoy light appetizers and drinks while sorting art supplies for children in the community.

Attendees can also participate in a scavenger hunt activity and explore GFS after the event. For more info, please contact United Way of Greater Mercer County at 609-637-4913. Register online at www.uwgmc.org. This is not your traditional YP networking event!

Grounds For Sculpture Young Professionals (GFSYP) is a group of creatives and professionals ages 21-40 who rally around unique experiences, programs and events.

Join us for an upcoming program, party or project! Interested in becoming involved on the GFSYP committee?

For more information and upcoming events, visit groundsforsculpture.org/gfsyp.

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Walter Dusenbery, Damascus Gate, 2002, travertine, 240 x 176 x 51 inches, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson Atelier, Inc.