In Case You Were Wondering … – Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, Trenton, New Jersey

Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton Township. The grounds, which feature over 270 large scale contemporary sculptures, were founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II – known to all as "Seward." He desired to make contemporary sculpture accessible to people from all backgrounds.

Seward is a wealthy heir to the immense medical products fortune of Johnson & Johnson, founded by his grandfather. Seward not only produces art, but also generously supports cultural projects. Both his sculpture and his philanthropy were overshadowed for a time in the 1980’s, however, when he was entangled in one of the most notorious legal inheritance battles in America: Mr. Johnson and his five siblings challenged the will of J. Seward Johnson Sr., their father who had disinherited them. Their lawsuit was successful.

Seward has been making sculptures since the early 1970’s. Some of his works depict "ordinary people doing ordinary things," as he puts it. They are so lifelike down to their crumpled brown bags and untied shoelaces that taxis sometimes stop for the bronze man hailing a cab outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington.

Some critics dismiss Seward’s work as kitsch. I, for one, think his work to be great fun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Grounds for Sculpture in time to see an show of over 150 of Seward’s works depicting his 50-year career. The retrospective exhibition was scheduled to run from May 4 to September 21, 2014 but due to overwhelming popularity, it was extended through July 2015.

"Forever Marilyn," a life-scale bronze sculpture, was cast by Seward Johnson in 1996. Inspired by the well-known pose of Marilyn Monroe with her skirt aloft, Johnson gave himself the challenge of making something air-blown and light convey the same sensitive quality in hard metal.