HAMILTON, N.J.- Due to the devastating effects of a succession of major weather events over the last two weeks Grounds For Sculpture has reluctantly decided to postpone the opening of its groundbreaking sculpture exhibition, Aerial Roots by Steve Tobin, on The Meadow, its brand new 7-acre outdoor sculpture gallery. Originally slated to open on September 17, the exhibition will now officially open to the public on Saturday, October 1st at 2:30 pm following formal dedication and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Almost a year in the making, Aerial Roots and The Meadow mark a major new chapter in the evolution of the 42-acre sculpture park and arboretum in Hamilton, New Jersey, which last year welcomed over 150,000 people to its magic and wonder.

Creating such a large outdoor gallery and an exhibition of this magnitude has been a massive undertaking both in terms of the art, nearly two dozen monumental works of steel sculpture, and the site preparation required. As GFS executive director David Miller noted, “All the magnificent art work is in place and all the basic alterations to the land accomplished; but wave after wave of torrential rains, beginning even before Hurricane Irene and continuing after, have utterly frustrated completion of the site work and rendered the property unready to welcome the public. It would be simply unworthy of the art and unworthy of the experience the public deserves when they come to Grounds For Sculpture to open now. Give us two weeks and reasonable weather and we’ll be ready.”

Aerial Roots marks the first time Grounds For Sculpture has mounted a major outdoor exhibition, and its new property, The Meadow, may be the largest track of land in the Mid-Atlantic region devoted to this purpose. Internationally acclaimed artist Steve Tobin has provided 23 artworks, (28 pieces in all) for this unique show. Painstakingly constructed from re-claimed rolled and bent steel pipe, these “steel roots” range from human scale to the monumental, the largest being over 50 feet tall. The organic, abstract forms suggest many things--couples dancing, animals lumbering, creatures with tentacles flailing to the sky. They also vividly suggest Japanese calligraphy and cathedral arches, and they change dramatically with every movement of the viewer and every season of the year. The show will be up through summer 2012.

The Meadow property was acquired by GFS five years ago, but has lain fallow until this unique opportunity presented itself. Between the twenty flatbed trucks delivering the art, the crews and cranes that worked tirelessly to assemble and install it, and the machinery and engineering needed to prepare the land, the effort itself has been monumental and was on schedule until rains arrived. With the two-week postponement, Aerial Roots will now formally open to the public on October 1, 2011 and is free with admission to the park. A formal dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony has been planned to take place at 2pm.