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Planned for more than two and ahalf years , the project is the most ambitious fundraiser the arboretum ’ s dues-paying volunteers have ever conceived .
“ It ’ s the best decision that we ever made ,” says Linda �ansom , president of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum , anonprofit incorporated in 200� . The sculptures , �ansom says , “ broaden our appeal ” as apublic park . “ It ’ s a wonderful melding of nature and art ,” she adds .
Once a commercial nursery owned by the �nippenberg family , the �0-acre arboretum on Pines
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Lake Drive West is now maintained through a partnership between the Friends and the township . Leslie and Stuart �eiser , arboretum volunteers who live onthe opposite side of the lake , came up with the idea for the sculpture trail and then enlisted Scott Broadfoot , a professional art dealer , to curate the project .
Broadfoot was also tasked with overseeing each sculpture installation . Some setups took several hours to complete , requiring cranes and �atbed trucks .
The sculpture trail is marketed by the arboretum as lying halfway
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between Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton Township and Storm �ing Art Center in �ew Windsor , �ew York . But unlike those destinations , Broadfoot says , the local park is free to visitors . “ Seeing it finally come to life is really ama�ing ,” says Broadfoot , who owns an art gallery in Boonton . “ So much of it is done on paper and at board meetings , and not alot is actually happening in the field .”
The sculpture trail is also different from similar projects in that its artwork is for sale ; the other parks are permanent museums . But ifyou ’ re in
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COURTESY OF FRIEN�S OF LAUREL�OO� AR�ORETUM |