Creating New Sculpture Park

[suburbanartists]

OK... Here is the beginning of the Big Idea i've been working on.

And I need Help and Advice.

We have a beautiful county park here in Monmouth County, NJ. In it lies a WWII bunker many hundred feet long and at least 30 ft wide 15 feet high. It used to protect all the army stuff, vehicles, munitions etc. Around this huge mounded tunnel like structure is a large wild lawn area and a narrow walking path. A small parking lot is nearby. The rest of the park (787 acres) is mostly wooded with bike and walking paths. There are ocean and river views from elevations at the top of the park.

So i envision cleaning up the huge tunnel and have it become and indoor / outdoor gallery and have an outdoor park in the grounds surrounding the structure. Now i just need to convince the county and all the potential objectors that this is an undeniable project. Sort of a cross between grounds for sculpture and storm king. Also looking to propose it as a much more natural - human hands off - setting as opposed to the highly manipulated landscape of a grounds for sculpture.

I'll try to get some more photos and post them up.

Any experienced advice? Thanks

[GlennT]

A great idea. Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina set an excellent standard for displaying sculpture in a large nature setting with a good balance of nature, accesibility, and setting off each sculpture in a graceful setting.
That existing structure could use a makeover, possibly a mural painted to look like a bas-relief such as what I did here for Ellis Drum shop in St. Paul.
Not this subject, per se, but tying in the sculpture park theme with a building that looks like it is sculpturally ornamented.

You could also include suprises like the insertion of bas-relief or other works in the crotch of a tree as seen here:
http://www.glennterryart.com/Arch/SunFaces.htm

[suburbanartists]

Yeah Glenn i would love to have some big pieces semi hidden in the woods far off the paths. But 1st focusing on getting it to be a go.

I do remember your drum shop mural. Nice painting.

[suburbanartists]

Glenn it seems like Brookgreen is all figurative. So this would be the polar opposite of that southern bell thing going on down there. Rough nature and All Abstract!!! How about thta. Would also be looking for some monumental size lightning rods.

[GlennT]

With all of that space, why not mix it up with both figurative and abstract?
Makes it a bigger draw, like the Walker Sculpture garden, as opposed to a place like Fraconia, Minnesota, that looks like two airplanes collided over the park and spewed the remains into seperate piles.

[Aaron Schroeder]

I'll recommend a parking lot, a web page, and a groundskeeping account. A sculpture park just sits there, a safe haven for every kind of weed, keeping the grounds trimmed, neat and orderly is the long term concern. Finding someone who will mow around the sculptures in a loving fashion should keep you busy for decades. Erecting a secured shed for the mower, weedeater, gasoline, etc....must be worked into the maintainance budget. People love a nicely landscaped sculpture park !!!

[suburbanartists]

Originally Posted by Aaron Schroeder

People love a nicely landscaped sculpture park !!!

Thanks Aaron, Yes they do mow the area next to the building already, and they have a few park rangers that work in the park, so that would be already covered. The varied natural landscape seems to me to be the site's biggest asset. Huge old concrete structure, mowed grass area, tall wild field area, flat and hilly terraine, heavy deep mature woods.

I would hopefully bring the sculptors and or pieces to the project, that's how i would present it anyway. So i guess that's were i need feedback from those here.

I've been doing my Block Island show (http://www.suburbanartists.com/block...lptureshow2008) but that is much smaller in scale and only seasonal and on private land which simplifies everything tremendiously.

Any sculpture acquisition/long and short term loan thoughts?

Thanks Sub

[suburbanartists]

Some more Pics

[suburbanartists]

Originally Posted by Aaron Schroeder

I'll recommend a parking lot, a web page

Thanks for everyone's input.
Here is the beginning of the web page.

www.xxsculpture.com/thebunkerathartshorne

[evaldart]

I dont know how much interior space is available in the bunkers, but Eastern State Penintentiary has done much by allowing artists to make site specific work within the rawness of their interior space (not me though, I got the rejections). Those spaces might lend themselves to installation/temporary/alternate media. Put some contemporary edge into the project.