Gardens of Earthly Delight
On NJN’s State of the Arts
Friday, September 22, at 8:30 pm; and Wednesday, September 27 at 11:30 pm

STATEWIDE – State of the Arts visits two of New Jersey’s landmark public gardens and profiles two artists who find their inspiration in nature in this contemplative and beautiful encore presentation. Gardens of Earthly Delight airs on September 22 at 8:30 pm, with a rebroadcast on Wednesday, September 27 at 11:30 pm.

• Six Poets at Duke Farms
With up to 25,000 visitors, the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival is the largest gathering devoted to poetry in North America. Usually held at Waterloo Village, the 2004 Festival took place at one of the most fabulous estates in the country, Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Doris Duke opened one acre of her gardens to the public in 1964, but the remaining 120 acres of the estate were opened to the public for the first time with the 2004 Poetry Festival. State of the Arts producer Christopher Benincasa was there to record six of the more than 60 nationally and internationally renowned poets, who read their work amidst the bucolic settings. These included the Irish poet Paul Muldoon; Newark native C.K. Williams; and Southern-born Yusef Komunyakaa, all of whom teach at Princeton University, as well as Chinese-American Marilyn Chin; Mark Doty, the only American winner of Britain's T.S. Eliot prize; and Coleman Barks, the pre-eminent translator of the Persian poet Rumi. Duke Farms is open to the public year round for various pre-booked tours Wednesday through Sunday. The 2006 Dodge Poetry Festival will take place at Waterloo Village September 28-October 1, 2006.

• Grounds for Sculpture
On the outskirts of Trenton, in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, is Grounds for Sculpture, an oasis of large-scale works made by world-class artists nestled in outlandish environments, landscapes and architecture. Christopher Benincasa delves into the inner workings of this 22-acre sculpture park, guided by its founder, sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr. Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz is featured as she

visits Grounds for Sculpture to oversee the installation of her new work, “Space of Stone,” made of enormous blocks of freestanding granite. Abakanowicz places the blocks in order to create an environment that, in the artist’s words, “We must enter, penetrate, become part of.” This imposing sculpture is now recognized as one of her major outdoor installations. Grounds for Sculpture is open to the public nearly all Tuesdays through Sundays throughout the year.

• Timothy Martin, painter
State of the Arts producer Eric Schultz visits the studio of painter Timothy Martin, who has gained widespread acclaim for his unique artistic style. His paintings are reminiscent of works by the Italian Renaissance mannerist Arcimboldo, who arranged fruits and vegetables to form faces. Martin uses organic textures — flowers, plants, and animals — within manmade forms such as chairs, furniture, and musical instruments, to create stunning visual puns. Recently, the Stockton, New Jersey artist accepted a commission from Steinway Pianos in New York City to paint the wooden surfaces on four grand pianos, each representing one of the seasons. According to Martin, his signature style began as a pun while he was mounting a show of paintings and sculpture. “…I hung a painting called ‘Wing Chair.’ The chair’s 'wings' were a bird’s wings and in the seat of the chair was – what else? – an egg. I was pleased with that piece and I did several others, including one of an overstuffed Victorian chair, which was an abundantly flowered Victorian garden.”

• Manabu Saito, botanical illustrator
Manabu Saito is a professional horticultural artist, watercolorist, and naturalist who travels the world to find and paint rare orchids, cacti, and exotic tropical plants. But, as State of the Arts producer Amber Edwards discovers, some of his best work is done from his own garden in Stillwater, New Jersey. Saito is an accomplished botanical illustrator who has created illustrations for Audubon and National Geographic magazines, and for many books on plants and flowers. He also designed the Orchid Stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, depicting four orchids native to the United States. Born and educated in Tokyo, Japan, Saito came to the United States in 1953 and has been here ever since. During the 50s he studied Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and in the 1960s he was employed as an industrial designer for Raymond Loewy in New York City. He has been a freelance botanical artist since 1972.

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.

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.