Grounds For Sculpture

Visitor Services: designed to provide information services, process membership benefits, coordinate tour groups, perform introductory lectures, assist with special events and collect entrance fees. Staff monitors multiple park entry points as well as information desks located throughout the park. In 2022, GFS expanded its capacity back to pre-covid levels. The ticketing process remained mostly as an online, advance purchase ticketing system that had been implemented several years earlier in order to maintain a safe environment. We welcomed over 270,000 visitors, a 9.5% increase over 2021. GFS is committed to equitable access and welcoming in the community through its partnership with both Art-Reach ACCESS and Families First Discovery Pass programs in which almost 7,500 admission tickets were issued. Additionally, reduced admission was offered to 5,672 front-line health care workers and 2,301 veterans/active military.

ARTS EDUCATION: GFSs education programs encourage exploration, discovery, and direct engagement with the arts. Our wellness related programs continued to be highly attended, leveraging the unique healing potential of art and nature. They included yoga, family meditation, mindfulness in nature and nature journaling in a safe and tranquil setting. Adult education programs also include workshops to learn new skills but not limited to ceramics, guided tours, immersive introductions to a wide variety of art making materials and techniques, courses that encourage both skill development and relationship building, and seasonal art and horticulture offerings. Family programs provide opportunities to share experiences that include hands-on artmaking, storytelling and guided exploration of our galleries and gardens. In 2022, we brought back school group visits which included guided tours and hands-on art making experiences.

Exhibitions: In 2022, over 270,000 people visited GFS. GFS embraces a wide range of contemporary sculpture and related art in its exhibitions. These projects affirm the organizations commitment to broadening our exhibition program and collection in ways that reflect the diversity of the region and the dynamic world around us. GFS maintains the work of the outdoor collection at the highest standards, with ongoing sculpture restoration projects performed during the year. In 2022, major exhbitions centered on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists with Roberto Lugo: The Village Potter, and Fragile:Earth. Both exhibitions supported the curatorial strategy as a driver for community engagement, addressing issues relevant to inclusivity, access, and equity while continuing to support the mission. GFS also continued its plan to have year-round exhibitions by presenting year 2 of our multi-sensory outdoor exhibition called Night Forms.