Seward Johnson, of the Johnson & Johnson fortune, was a sculptor who created Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. Now some of his work (or replicas of that work) are popping up elsewhere in Mercer County.
We spotted a life-like hotdog vendor in Trenton on a bike ride a few weeks ago. But when I read that the Hopewell Valley Arts Council has nearly a dozen pieces scattered across its part of the county (all temporarily, of course), I knew there was a bike ride in there.
Someone beat me to it — and did a great job creating a route. (The original, 35-mile version is here.) If you’re worried about the hills of the Sourlands, don’t be. No killer hills. Oh, you will have some hills (one is getting out of the Delaware River valley), but overall it’s a fairly flat ride for this area. You’ll even get several miles on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail.
Not only is it a marvelous route but we had a glorious day – sunshine and comfortable low 80s after the miserable heat and humidity of the past week or so.
A word of warning
Don’t be like me. Follow the route when it takes you into St. Michaels Farm Preserve. You can walk your bike if the idea bothers you. Because if you don’t go, you will miss the giant Awakening sculpture: 5 pieces that suggest a giant is rising from the ground. Maybe he’s a bit angry at being woken up? Look at the face at the top. Anyway, the pieces are so big that I can’t stretch my arms around just the hand. The arm? All of my 5-feet-4 get you only to the bicep.
The original of this work dates back to 1980 and a sculpture conference in Washington, D.C. It’s very different from the other pieces, all more realistic and often everyday scenes captured in amazing detail in the metal.
The first time I saw the bake sale outside a church in Hopewell, I thought for a moment that someone really was selling cookies. (I think I was hungry.) Plenty of real food options in Hopewell, or wait til you get to Pennington, and hit up Uncle Ed’s for ice cream (in the small strip mall opposite the shopping center with Pennington Market).
Or look at this policeman, from back when police officers were skinny (no high-fructose corn syrup?) and didn’t wear body armor. See the individual bullets, his name on his shirt … and then the detail on the pad for issuing tickets.
The girl on a bench reading a book? You can read what’s on the page.
Love the painter — Monet — looking out over the Delaware River where Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware on Christmas night 1776 — and the piece he’s working on is … Washington Crossing the Delaware. (A bit of a change from the original!)
And how fun is this Einstein one? If only the kids at that school could actually bike there…
Others have more of a Norman Rockwell feel and are less my taste.
You may have to look for some of them, especially the small ones on school grounds, so bring along this guide. Oops, think we missed one! (Turns out it was left off — here’s the original, 35-mile version that includes it.)
The sculptures are only around for six months, and I know I noticed one in early June. So don’t wait too long or they will be gone.
If you want to bike to Grounds for Sculpture from the D&R Canal towpath, here’s how.
Exploring by bicycle 