nature
WILDLIFE AT THE ARBORETUM
sculptures will be much more than
that. The sculptures will be loaned
to the arboretum for at least two
years. Pieces that are purchased will
be removed from the display and
replaced.
Broadfoot, who also curates The
Mansion at Natirar in Peapack-
Gladstone, says it is rare to allow
visitors of a sculpture trail to buy
artwork that is on exhibit. Most trails
have permanent displays, he says.
The fundraising aspect makes the
arboretum’s project special, but it is
unique for other reasons. It is child-
friendly, dog-friendly, and, perhaps
most important, free to walk around.
Like the volunteers, Broadfoot
says he has high expectations for the
project. “The art will enhance the
environment, while the environment
will enhance the art — they go hand
in hand,” he says. The trail also will
attract a new audience to the arbore-
tum. “It’ll open it up tremendously,”
he says. “None of my clients had ever
known about it.”
Robert Koch, 58, a sculptor from
Jersey City, is among the curator’s
artists. His piece, made out of oxi-
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MAY 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE
dized steel, will stand 6.5 feet tall at
the arboretum. “It’s a nice alterna-
tive to the white-walled gallery,”
says Koch, a native of Pennsylvania
who has dozens of sculptures on dis-
play throughout the country. “When
you’re creating large, three-dimen-
sional pieces that don’t require a
wall, it’s nice to see them in nature.”
Picking locations for each sculp-
ture was a painstaking process that
required Broadfoot to take precise
measurements and to observe scenery
for days. The sites were chosen based
on factors that included direction of
sunlight and how each piece appears
against the backdrop of surrounding
foliage.
James Tyler’s sculpture was put in
front of a pond because it depicts the
head of “Iyemoja,” an African water
deity.
The 7.5-foot-tall sculpture, made
out of more than 120 ceramic blocks,
was the first piece to be installed.
Tyler, who hails from Indiana, is
renowned in the field for his “brick-
head” technique.
“It’s nice to have your artwork
in front of a skyscraper, or in an
art center or a museum setting,”
says Tyler, 64, now of Haverstraw,
New York, “but to have it where any-
one can go and see it, and enjoy it, is
important to me.”
Concerns over the virus pandemic
canceled the Friends’ first attempt
to raise money for the trail. The
event was to be held at Broadfoot’s
gallery in late March. But, they are
still collecting through GoFundMe.
com. As of early last month, more
than $16,000 had been raised toward
a goal of $25,000 to offset upfront
expenses for the project. ■
ARBORETUM;
OUTDOOR MUSEUM GUIDE A map to Laurelwood Arboretum’s proposed sculpture trail
makes it easy for visitors to take in natural and man-made beauty.