The Wildflower Sculpture Park, a program of the South Mountain Conservancy, is hosting its annual opening reception on Friday, June 4th to celebrate the installation of the newest artworks. It will take place at 10 Bear Lane in Maplewood, NJ (near Summit Field & the reservation’s dog park) from 5 to 7 p.m. On display will be the work of Maria Lupo, Oki Fukunaga, Christoph Spath and Lee Tribe.

This is event is open to the public. To accompany the art, there will be a musical performance by flutist Christian Vega. Light refreshments will be served. Rain date is Friday, June 11th.

The artists will be in attendance and are open to questions about the process of their work. Maria Lupo will demonstrate the assemblage of her ‘living quilt’ piece made of teabags. She will offer guests the opportunity to add their own positive wishes to be embedded into the quilt.

Now in its tenth year, the sculpture park is supported by the Conservancy and the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. The annual show supplements the 13 other works already on display. Current sculptures can be viewed at the Wildflower Sculpture Park until April of next year.

“The original reason behind the sculpture park was to encourage visitors to enter the Wildflower Preserve which backs the sculpture park,” explained Tricia Zimic, current artistic director. “Since then, it has become an attraction in its own right, with some of the sculptures being placed within the preserve itself.”

About Wildflower Sculpture Park:

The Wildflower Sculpture Park (WSP) was established in 2012 as a program of the South Mountain Conservancy by Tricia Zimic who has served as its artistic director/curator. The Wildflower Sculpture Park transforms itself each spring when new works are added to the permanent pieces that were purchased from prior shows. In June, Zimic will step down from this role which will be taken over by a WSP team led by Newark-based artist Lisa Sanders.

About South Mountain Conservancy:

The South Mountain Conservancy serves as steward and advocate for the South Mountain Reservation, a 2,110-acre naturalistic park in Essex County, New Jersey. The Conservancy works to preserve, protect and restore its ecology, natural beauty, and infrastructure through several volunteer programs, and promotes sustainable use, informed public policy and community engagement. A volunteer-driven, non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation founded in March 2000, it works in partnership with the Essex County Parks Department.
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