House and Garden
On NJN's State of the Arts
Friday, September 30 at 8:30 pm and 11:30 pm; and Wednesday, October 5 at 11:30 pm

STATEWIDE – NJN’s State of the Arts begins its fall season with stories that find the artistic elements in four New Jersey homes and gardens. This edition of State of the Arts visits a sculptor whose house is a work of art, two neighbors whose palettes are their gardens, a colonial estate that is a museum-in-progress, and the country garden setting of one of the wittiest plays ever written. House & Garden may inspire viewers to visit firsthand some of these special locations, and, in one case, affords a tour of a site not usually open to the public. House & Garden airs on Friday, September 30 at 8:30 pm and 11:30 pm, with another rebroadcast on Wednesday, October 5 at 11:30 pm.

• Luna Parc
Located in the lush northwestern woods of Montague, New Jersey, Luna Parc is a perpetual work-in-progress. Since 1989 the house and grounds have become an environmental sculpture park created and maintained by artist/designer Ricky Boscarino. Inside his surreal estate, Boscarino crafts stained glass windows enshrining woodland animal life, bracelets made of retired coins, and other jewelry featuring the likenesses of things like microscopic flatworms, insects, animals, wheelbarrows and espresso pots. State of the Arts producer Christopher Benincasa goes on location and explores all five offbeat acres of Luna Parc. This is a unique opportunity to “tour” Luna Parc, as it is not open to the public.

• Gardening Neighbors
Silas Mountsier and Graeme Hardie of Nutley, New Jersey have been gardening together for more than a decade — in separate gardens across the street from one another. While their gardens couldn't be more different, the two men share the same love of plants, art, and architecture, not to mention a jointly designed streetscape that unifies the two properties. Hardie's garden is best described as a jungle, packed with ingeniously arranged tropical and perennial plants, large sculptures, and bold strokes of architecture. Mountsier's garden, which includes nearly 100 pieces of sculpture and historical artifacts, uses drifts of plants and pathways to lead the visitor to secret nooks and crannies. Both gardens were designed by Richard Hartlage, but each has its own unique personality. State of the Arts producer Amber Edwards visits the adjoining gardens and learns the inside story about Mountsier and Hardie’s creative partnership.

• Morven
Richard Stockton was an important 18th century attorney and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His wife, Annis Boudinot Stockton, was a prolific poet and the host of memorable parties. Their Princeton home was a showcase in its time, visited by George Washington and Joseph Bonaparte among others. After generations of Stocktons, the house became the New Jersey Governor’s Mansion. Now, it’s a museum – known as Morven Museum & Garden. State of the Arts producer Susan Wallner visited Morven at various stages in its historic renovation, and then returned to see the museum, which opened in 2004, complete with Boudinot family antiques on display. Also included is a look at the ongoing restoration of Morven’s extensive gardens. Morven is open for tours throughout the year.

• The Importance of Being Earnest
State of the Arts producer Eric Schultz visits the set of Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, a headline production in this year’s New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, located on the campus of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Directed by acclaimed 26-year-old British director, Tamara Harvey, the show features Caralyn Kozlowski as Gwendolen, Gareth Saxe as John (and “Jack”/“Ernest”), Elena Shaddow as Cecily and Steve Wilson as Algernon. Much of the witty dialogue takes place in a lovely country garden, scene of a hilariously tangled web of alter egos and mistaken identities. The play will run through October 2, 2005.

State of the Arts, the award-winning, half-hour arts magazine airs every Friday at 8:30 pm, followed by an encore presentation each Wednesday at 11:30 pm. House & Garden will have an additional airtime on Friday evening at 11:30pm.

The current episode of State of the Arts can be viewed online at www.njn.net. Individual stories will be available to view online following their broadcast by visiting the program online at State of the Arts.

Funding for State of the Arts is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The series producer is Susan Wallner and the executive producer is Nila Aronow.