nature
Natural setting
for art
Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum raises funds for a sculpture trail
L
WRITTEN BY PHILIP DEVENCENTIS
aurelwood Arboretum is often called the
hidden jewel of Wayne. It is a flattering
distinction, but one that its groundskeepers
have tried to break free of for years. They
want the place to be a destination.
A new project is now in its early
stages that volunteers hope will draw more visitors
to the 30-acre botanical garden on Colfax Road.
Fifteen sculptures, ranging from 6.5 feet tall to 22 feet
tall, will dot the landscape when it is completed.
It remains to be seen how the coronavirus outbreak
will impact the timing of installation of the sculptures,
but volunteers say they want to have all of the pieces
in place by October. One is installed, so far.
“We think this will really help us to get on the
map,” says Linda Ransom, president of the committee
in charge of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum. “We
couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Once a commercial nursery that specialized in sell-
ing azaleas and rhododendrons, the arboretum was
bequeathed to the township by the co-owners of that
business, Dorothy and John Knippenberg.
Friends was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2003,
following John Knippenberg’s death, to oversee activi-
ties of dues-paying members who volunteer at the
property. There are now more than 550 members.
Four years later, when Dorothy Knippenberg died,
Friends and the township became official partners to
preserve the arboretum.
Two volunteers, Leslie and Stuart Reiser, came up
with the idea for the sculpture trail after witnessing
the success of an art-meets-nature event there in 2016.
“People who appreciate nature typically appreciate fine
art,” says Leslie Reiser, who lives with her husband on
the east shore of Pines Lake, less than two miles from
the entrance to the arboretum.
About the sculpture trail, Stuart Reiser says, “It
elevates the profile of the arboretum. It’ll give you
another reason to want to go there.”
James Tyler, an artist from Haverstraw, New York, installs his
“brickhead” sculpture at the Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne.
After getting approval for the project from Friends,
the Reisers sought guidance from a team of experts,
including professors of art and marketing at William
Paterson University. Then, they enlisted the help of a
professional sculpture curator to plan the trail, identify
participating artists and supervise all of the installa-
tions. Scott Broadfoot was their man.
The curator, who owns an art gallery on Main
Street in Boonton, also will be sales agent for the
trail. Each piece will be available for purchase, and,
Broadfoot says, a portion of proceeds will be donated
to the arboretum. Volunteers say there is a need to
build a fence around the property because plants there
have been decimated by deer.
To do so could cost the arboretum $150,000,
yet the asking price for some of the most expensive
WAYNE MAGAZINE MAY 2020
37