Behemoths and Cocoons

Bristol-Myers Squibb unveils its new sculpture park in New Brunswick.

By: Matt Smith

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Outdoor Sculpture Project includes works by Nancy Cohen, "Way of Life." The sculptures are on view at the company’s New Brunswick campus.

   Just a pothole away from Route 1, the park at the entrance to Bristol-Myers Squibb’s New Brunswick campus is a surprisingly serene refuge from the chaos of the neighboring highway.
   A spot where employees can enjoy a picnic lunch or bring their kids for a ride on the seesaw, the shady grove is now a public artistic haven as well. Works by seven prominent sculptors will be on view for the next two years as part of the company’s new outdoor sculpture project, unveiled at a reception last week. The initiative promises similar exhibits at the company’s Lawrence, Hopewell and Plainsboro branches, with all four sites featuring concurrent sculpture exhibitions by 2005.
   Arranged along a winding dirt path at the front of the park, some of the works are visible from the highway, particularly Peter

"Ulrich’s Gift" by Christoph Spath

Lundberg’s massive "Kanasa" (2003), which curves toward the sky near the entrance. The 21-foot-high behemoth — made with 12 tons of concrete and stainless steel — resembles a figure eight, a ribbon or perhaps an illustration from a high school calculus textbook.
   "In my former life I was a mathematician, and many of my works are based on mathematical figures," says the artist, who lives in Bomoseen, Vt.
   Getting a piece from Mr. Lundberg was a major coup, according to Kate Somers, curator of the company’s corporate gallery in Lawrence and organizer of the sculpture project. She notes that he recently exhibited two sculptures at the prestigious Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, N.Y., "Dancing with Torsten" and "Ingemar." Named for Mr. Lundberg’s Swedish grandfathers, those works are even more massive than "Kanasa," which required a crane and truck for transport to New Brunswick, he says.
   Nearby is Nancy Cohen’s "Way of Life" (1994), a sort of giant pinecone tied to a tree with a thick section of rope. Made of steel, rubber, cement and various other materials, weaving the disparate elements into a cohesive 8-by-3-by-3-foot piece required a bit of physical exertion, says the diminutive Jersey City artist. "I had to keep rolling it over," she jokes, "but it wasn’t too bad."

"Kanasa" by Peter Lundberg

   Ms. Cohen says the choice of materials in "Way of Life," which also can be viewed as a cocoon or bodybag, is a comment on the interworkings of the masculine and the feminine.
   "If you look, you’ll see male and female elements balanced, opposed and intertwined, in tension and in resolution," she writes in the exhibit catalog. "Heavy steel and industrial tubing — male materials — are woven into baskets, traditionally a female craft. Male becomes female; industrial becomes handmade."
   Perhaps the most whimsical piece is Sydney Hamburger’s "Sun Scoop" (1992), a 6-by-6-by-4Ð-foot yellow-painted aluminum work the artist calls his "adaptation of a ‘tree house.’" Mr. Hamburger, of Santa Fe, N.M., hopes to one day re-create the work on a much larger scale: "When built full-size, it would accommodate a number of people," he writes, "… as a place of meditation, a place of safety or a place just for fun."
   Melvin Edwards, a New York City resident, contributes "For Moon and Stars" (2003), a similarly sized piece resting on a pedestal near a covered pavilion. Writes Mr. Edwards of the stainless-steel assemblage, anchored by a large oval: "Stainless steel and a pedestal on earth in a park are ways of surprising our fellow humans in inner space."
   New York City sculptor Robert Lobe’s "Frank and Marthalee" (1994) is a tree-like bronze work just over 12 feet tall, yet the artist writes: "This is not a tree. But I once saw a tree on the top of a mountain that reminded me much about the vicissitudes of life."

"Cleve" by Patrick Strzelec

   Lambertville’s Christoph Spath, originally from Germany, has contributed the regal "Ulrich’s Gift" (1999), also 12 feet high. Mr. Spath, who launched the stone program at the Johnson Atelier in Mercerville seven years ago, created the work using the facility’s sophisticated machinery. It evokes an ancient pillar, with a stunning, green-glass-filled "void," which the artist says he includes in his works to represent "the inner soul, or sprit."
   Patrick Strzelec’s "Cleve" (2001) is a twisting work of 3Ð-inch solid-stock bronze. The artist did 500 drawings and sculpted about 50 maquettes before heading into a foundry to personally create the work with the aid of an assistant — and 50,000-pound rollers. Despite being a "hands-on guy," Mr. Strzelec strives to separate the personal from his work.
   "It’s easy to create a depressing painting or sculpture," says the Carversville, Pa., resident, "and it’s easy to create a joyful one. I’m interested in ambiguity, the abstract, (work) that a person can look or take time with… to keep myself out of it because, frankly, I’m not that interesting.
   "In order to be a part of outdoor sculpture, you do have to take some time," he adds, "and I don’t think the work I do is right in your face. It takes some time to absorb it. Any good work, and I’m not saying my piece is good work, demands some time. And I think that most of the work in that show demands some time."
The Outdoor Sculpture Project is on view at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Park in New Brunswick, 1 Squibb Drive, New Brunswick. Hours: Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free admission. The next phase will open in Hopewell this fall. For information, call (908) 519-2000.