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MONTCLAIR, NJ -- Behind Montclair State University’s Art Gallery art and nature come together, nurture each other, and something special flowers in the fertile atmosphere.
“The Sculpture Garden is not just a place to display artwork,” said Theresa Rodriguez, acting director of the University Art Galleries. “It's a special place for students and faculty to congregate. It is a peaceful, inviting place surrounded by nature. There is a sense of calmness that attracts people.”
The Sculpture Garden is the only one of its kind at a University gallery in the state and the largest outdoor sculpture garden in the region. It reopened this semester after a summer-long clean-up.
Thanks to the Garden, MSU has been included in the “Directory of International Grounds for Sculpture” among outdoor sites to visit in New Jersey. “Plans are being made by the Art Gallery to provide a guided tour in the spring,” Rodriguez said. “We hope to have two tours: One of the Sculpture Garden and the other of the sculptures on campus.”
The Sculpture Garden’s purpose was not immediately recognized. The space has existed since the Art Gallery was created in 1969 after the Cosla family donated a collection of 16th- to 19th-century works of art to the University.
More than 20 years after the Gallery opened, Director Lorenzo Pace and Geoffrey Newman, dean of the School of the Arts, saw the space as an opportunity to display even more works of art.
“The Sculpture Garden adds another dimension to the understanding of art and the place of art in the environment,” Newman said. “This special experience cannot be had in a traditional exhibit. It is a special experience that combines art, nature and the human spirit.
“The Sculpture Garden is a place to focus and search within one's self,” Newman continued. “It's an environment where students can get close to and immerse themselves in both art and nature.”
The Sculpture Garden began with six outdoor pieces that were donated to or commissioned by the School of the Arts. The works were the result of a 1996 Fine Arts Department contest open to students.
Three works were selected. “God, Earth and Human” and “Flying Cloth” are in the Sculpture Garden. The third, “Destination Infinity,” stands in front of Life Hall.
Recent additions to the Sculpture Garden are two orange steel sculptures by New England professional sculptor Kenneth Greenleaf. The works were donated in June by former Clifton resident Phyllis Tuchman, an art collector and critic. Greenleaf's work is also on display at the Whitney Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.
In addition to the Sculpture Garden, about a dozen sculptures are displayed on campus.
Among the most celebrated works is “Ophiuchus: The Serpent Bearer,” by former professor Mac Adams. Located near Sprague Library, it is a fusion of art and science.
“Technically, the shadow sculpture is made of steel wedges, bars and disks that seemingly mean nothing sensible,” Rodriguez explained. “However, the breathtaking image emerges when the summer sun casts the shadow of the work from noon to approximately 1:15 p.m. between May and July of each year.”
Adopting a policy that for every building erected on campus a sculpture would be commissioned, the University, through the School of the Arts and in cooperation with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, commissioned Ned Smyth in 1999 to create outdoor totemic mosaics for Science Hall.
MSU is New Jersey’s second largest university. It offers the advantages of a large university -- a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum with a global focus, a broad variety of superior graduate programs, and a diverse faculty and student body -- combined with a small college’s attention to students.
More information on the University is available on its website: www.montclair.edu.
MSU is located at the intersection of Valley Road and Normal Avenue in Upper Montclair. The campus is one mile south of the junction of routes 3 and 46, 14 miles west of New York City.