Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) has received new funding from the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation to support two key education programs serving young students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) during the 2025-2026 school year.
The Joshua Harr Shane Foundation, which has supported the sculpture park since 2019, has helped connect schools with GFS, enabling students to participate in customized artmaking experiences. Each year the funded programs are tailored to meet students’ needs, offering fresh, developmentally aligned projects. This coming year, the support funds two programs designed by the GFS Education team: Young Artist Experiences for visiting K-12 school groups who serve students with special needs, and Creative Arts Workshops designed for adults with IDD who have transitioned out of the school system. The programs help advance the sculpture park’s goal of engaging a greater number of visitors in creativity- and wellness-boosting artmaking activities.
“Our long-standing partnership with the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation has been a true joy, opening the door to new opportunities within our program offerings,” said Tiffany Allen, GFS director of education and engagement. “Our staff and volunteers enjoy welcoming the students and adults that participate in the art workshops. In addition, being able to enhance our programs with accessible options supported by the Harr Shane Foundation has helped forward our mission of engaging all visitors. We are thankful for this partnership and are excited to watch it grow.”
“We are incredibly excited and deeply honored to partner with Grounds For Sculpture on the Young Artist Experiences and the Individuals with Developmental Disabilities programs,” said Judith Harr Shane, executive director of the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation. “We look forward to working with GFS on this new venture, which we believe will open tremendous opportunities for young artists and the IDD community alike. This collaboration is a testament to our shared commitment to the arts and inclusive programming.”
Young Artist Experiences continue to provide flexible, skill-building art opportunities that evolve each year to meet the needs of participating students. The students, which typically visit with their schools, can enjoy workshops that focus on a variety of mediums including plaster and clay, which build their abilities to think creatively.
The Creative Arts Workshops program, which was successfully piloted earlier this year, offers meaningful, engaging arts activities for adults over 21 with IDD, a population that often faces limited access to creative enrichment opportunities. This expanded support will allow GFS to deepen its impact and reach more participants in the year ahead. Each session also includes a guided tour of the sculpture park as well as a wellness activity. Past workshops have included artmaking activities such as string painting and wreath making.
Grounds For Sculpture is at 80 Sculptors Way in Hamilton Township. To learn more about the Young Artist Experiences, contact Caroline Fazzini at cfazzini@groundsforsculpture.org. Sign up for Creative Arts Workshops for Adults with IDD on the GFS calendar at groundsforsculpture.org.