Grounds For Sculpture

🙌 School’s out! Come celebrate summer break at GFS— we’re open all week long, with discounted admission available starting at 5PM Fridays through Sundays.

✨The Auditorium located in the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts is now available to rent! Book your next company meeting or casual company retreat at GFS. Brand new audio/visual equipment is installed for hybrid access.

For more information, visit www.groundsforsculpture.org/plananevent

Our lotus and water lilies are in full bloom this Flower Friday! You can find the Lotus Pond by the Gazebo and the water lilies in Rat's Pond.
Both will be in bloom for the next six weeks- don't miss out!

Our new summer collab menu with Honeysuckle Provisions is out! Honeysuckle Provisions is an Afrocentric grocery store and café in West Philly led by Omar Tate and Cybille St.Aude-Tate. Check out Omar’s work ‘Blue,’ one of the featured pieces in ‘Slow Motion,’ and then enjoy dishes like Salad Russe, Herb Garden Salad, and a Fried Chicken Biscuit from Honeysuckle Provisions at the Peacock Café 💙🦚

Earlier this month, GFS members and staff took a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see ‘Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams’ and hear Joyce herself speak about her work! These exclusive member trips are just one of the many perks included in GFS membership.

Interested in coming to the next one?
Become a member today at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/membership/individual-family-membership/

🪩 Discount alert! Grounds For Sculpture is offering a special summer promotion- receive 10% off a room rental facility fee for any events booked and held between June 1 and August 31. Check out some of our available rooms above and visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/plan-an-event/ to book your event today.

Please note that non-profit organizations are not eligible for this discount due to our existing non-profit discount.

Can you guess which sculpture this dessert, frozen moon rocks, pairs best with? Come to Swirl: An Evening of Art and Wine to find out! Take a sensory tour of the grounds and sample a different curated food and wine pairing for each sculpture on the way, with pairings designed by the chef and sommelier at Rat’s Restaurant 🍷

Interested in coming to Swirl? It will be hosted twice, on July 11 and September 6, with unique sculptures on each evening. Repeat visitors are welcome! Tickets can be purchased at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/swirl-an-evening-of-art-and-wine/

Happy first day of summer ☀️

If you’re getting some sunbathing in, don’t forget to hydrate! Refillable water bottle stations are available in the Welcome Center.

Our newest exhibition, ‘Slow Motion,’ has been open for just over a month now! 'Slow Motion' invites us to reimagine our relationships with monuments. Have you been to see it yet?

There’s still time to donate to this year’s Access Campaign! You can donate at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/give

Danny Simmons Presents a Def Poetry Jam Reunion- Ft. Roberto Lugo is just three days away! Don’t miss out- tickets are selling fast for this exciting evening of Def Poetry Jam Alumni and local poets sharing their craft in the garden 💥🎙

For our Sustainer and Benefactor Members, register for an Exclusive Talk with Danny and Roberto before the show begins on the importance of legacy and building community. Interested in attending the talk? Join or upgrade your membership today at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/membership/individual-family-membership/

🎟 To get tickets, visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/def-poetry-jam-reunion/

Danny Simmons Presents a Def Poetry Jam Reunion — Featuring Roberto Lugo is supported in part by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

I’ll be performing here next Thursday, June 20 for a Def Poetry Jam Reunion at Grounds For Sculpture. Featuring the vase sculptures of Roberto Lugo.

Visit their website at www.GroundsforSculpture.com

Def Poetry Jam Reunion is almost here! Start the night off with DJ ItsJustAhmad spinning beats and follow along as our host, Starfire, keeps the show flowing.

DJ ItsJustAhmad is a Trenton-based DJ, who has been seen at shows at Mill Hill Basement, spinning at Trenton Social, backing up acts like Old Sol and Agudos Clef, and teaching monthly DJ master classes at Arts All Night- Trenton. Starfire is a Philly-based Curator of Energy and Creative Expression working to revolutionize the art of hosting. She can be found regularly hosting events like VinyTap215 and the Sisterhood Sit-In tours.

To get tickets, visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/def-poetry-jam-reunion/

Danny Simmons Presents a Def Poetry Jam Reunion — Featuring Roberto Lugo is supported in part by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

🌵 Calling all aspiring plant parents! Join Horticulturalist Jen Mothes to learn how easy it is to create and care for a living succulent wreath. In this hands-on workshop on June 22, you’ll learn essential tips and tricks to help succulents thrive in your home. Jen will debunk the mysteries of how much water and light your succulents need to stay healthy, and then you’ll take a walk in the garden to harvest the vines used to create your wreath by hand.

Admission to GFS and all materials are included. Tickets are available at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/living-succulent-wreath/

Join us on June 22, from 6-7:15PM, for the first of our summer sound bath series! Led by Sarah Hummel, founder and curator of Formation Sauna + Wellness, you’ll find sensory relaxation, focus, clarity of mind, and an elevation of awareness as the sound bath experience eliminates disorder in the mind and body.

The sound bath series is hosted once a month from June through September. Admission is included in the price of tickets, which can be purchased at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/summer-sound-bath-2/

On July 11, take a sensory journey through the grounds and delight all five senses at Swirl: An Evening of Art and Wine! Enjoy a curated, docent-led tour of the grounds in the evening, with a food and wine pairing matched to each sculpture along the way, designed by the chef and sommelier at Rat’s Restaurant 🖼🍷

All funds raised at this event will help support our art and horticulture collections, our dynamic public programming, and our mission to broaden access to art, education, and wellness.

Can’t make this one? Come to the next Swirl date on September 6! Want to come again? Great! Each Swirl date will feature different sculptures and different wine pairings in our lush gardens, and we welcome return visitors.

This event will be hosted rain or shine. Tour times begin at 5:30 and our last tour will be at 7:15PM. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/swirl-an-evening-of-art-and-wine/

⬅➡Now on view: ‘East West Buddha’ by Mac Adams. In this time-based work, the elements of light and time are as important as the physical components of stone and metal. In May, June, July, and part of August, around 11AM and 2PM, the arrangement of stones on small, raised platforms reveals a shadow of a figure seated in meditation on the disc below. As the Earth tilts and shifts, the sun aligns with the physical work to create this effect. Like the garden that surrounds it, ‘East West Buddha’ changes with the seasons.

This work was donated by the artist in 2023 and is now part of our permanent collection, located in the Meadow near the Meditation Grove.

Make sure to visit this summer and catch it in the sunlight! Swipe to see a photo of ‘East West Buddha’ during peak sun.

Garden Circle patrons toasted the start of rose season last night in the rose arbor! Patrons got to enjoy a glass of rosé and learned more about the history of the roses at GFS from our Horticultural team 🥂🌹

Interested in joining the Garden Circle and coming to events like this in the future? Learn more at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/join-support/garden-circle/

🥳🎂Today is Grounds For Sculpture’s birthday, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community with your help in a big way! GFS exists for everyone to enjoy, and we need your support to ensure that accessibility at GFS improves. Can we count on you to help us reach our $15,000 goal?

Last year’s Access Campaign raised nearly $10,000 thanks to individuals like you – and here’s some examples of what that helped us achieve together: free and reduced admission for over 11,000 guests; the opportunity to welcome over 30,000 students to the grounds; and accessibility enhancements, such as touchless automatic doors, accessible sculptures like ‘Cloud Swing’, and descriptive tours.

What do we want for our birthday? To give the gift of GFS to as many people as possible!

To make a donation, visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/give

Next up in our series of Def Poetry Jam Reunion poets is Derick Cross (D.Cross)!

D.Cross is a Queens, NY native and a Brooklyn based multi-dimensional, visual, vocal poetic performance artist and arts educator. This “Vocal Beat Expressionist” uses “vocal acrobatics” to create sonic collages of his poetry combining words, raps, and beatboxing. He has performed nationally and internationally in venues including Madison Square Garden, SOB’s, The New Vic Theatre, NJPAC, and Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. He was selected as a cultural Hip Hop Ambassador for the US State Department’s Next Level program in 2017 and 2023. He has served as a Hip Hop Cultural Diplomat in Azerbaijan and The Philippines.

D.Cross has been featured on MTV, The Electric Company Nickelodeon, TV Land & BET's 106's and Park. In 2003 he taped for HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and was the Hottest Poets $10,000 Spoken Word Grand Champion of 2002-03. Cross’ work can be found as part of the collections of Erykah Badu, Kool Herc, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Danny Simmons, and Bashiri Johnson. He is the Arts Director for African Voices Communications. Mr. Cross is also a SVA (School of Visual Arts) graduate who has worked as an Arts Educator teaching youth for the past 25 years.

🎙 See D.Cross and the rest of the poets perform on June 20 from 6-9:30PM!

To get tickets and read the full artist bios, visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/def-poetry-jam-reunion/

Danny Simmons Presents a Def Poetry Jam Reunion — Featuring Roberto Lugo is supported in part by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Summer is arriving and the roses and perennials are in full fragrance! Join GFS Manager of Horticulture Cat Swiderski and Horticulturalist Jen Mothes next Wednesday, June 12 from 11AM-12PM and awaken your senses for an hour-long tour of the aromatic areas in the garden.

Can’t make the Wednesday tour? Come back on Saturday, June 15 at 11AM for the second tour 🌹

Admission is included in ticket price- get yours today at https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/fragrant-flowers-3/ for the Wednesday tour or https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/fragrant-flowers-4/ for the Saturday tour.

⏰ GFS is now open daily all summer long! We are open 10AM-5PM Mondays through Thursdays and 10AM-9PM Fridays through Sundays. Member Mornings are also available every weekend morning, 8-10AM, until Labor Day. Don’t miss out on our late night hours either- you can get discounted admission after 5PM Fridays through Sundays 🎟🌙

🌹 Roses are red… and white and pink and orange! This Flower Friday, we are highlighting all our roses now in peak bloom. You can find our roses all over the grounds- at the rose arbor, on scalloped berms, Olympia hill, behind the Museum, and more. Have you seen them yet?

Next up in our series of Def Poetry Jam Reunion performers is Jamaaladeen Tacuma!

Jamaaladeen Tacuma is celebrated internationally for his creatively free and funky approach to the electric bass. Viewed as one of the most distinctive bassists of his generation, he is credited with redefining the potential of the instrument.

Tacuma debuted as a bandleader, composer, and arranger in 1983 with the album Showstopper. His 1988 album Jukebox was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1989; in 2011, his ongoing achievements were recognized by the Marcus Garvey Foundation 50thAnniversary Award. In 2018, he received the City of Philadelphia’s Benny Golson Award, which includes a City proclamation and the Liberty Bell award- one of the highest honors from the City of Philadelphia.

Since 2015, he has been producing the annual Outsiders Improvised & Creative Music Festival in his hometown of Philadelphia. Tacuma’s ever shifting aesthetic is evident in his wide range of projects and collaborators over the years, from fronting the funk trio Cosmetic to co-leading ensembles with US and European colleagues such as Vernon Reid and Derek Bailey. He has worked with poets Jayne Cortez, Quincy Troupe, Amiri Baraka, The Last Poets, and co-wrote and co-produced a song entitled “WOMEN FIRST” for KINDRED.

🎙 See Jamaaladeen and the rest of the poets perform on June 20 from 6-9:30PM!

To get tickets and read the full artist bios, visit https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/def-poetry-jam-reunion/

Danny Simmons Presents a Def Poetry Jam Reunion — Featuring Roberto Lugo is supported in part by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

🦚📢 Opening soon: the Peacock Café is back just in time for the summer! Opening this Friday, 5/31, you can find the café in the Domestic Arts Building. Come grab a bite after checking out our new exhibition, ‘Slow Motion,’ or take your lunch outside and enjoy the weather in the Acer Courtyard ☀

The Peacock Café will be open Fridays through Sundays from 11AM-4PM.