A New Jersey artist bought a 600-square-foot cabin in 1989 and kept adding to it; 37 years later, Luna Parc is a 5,000-square-foot home, studio and living artwork still being built
When Ricky Boscarino came across a small 600-square-foot cabin in the woods in New Jersey in 1988, he saw more than just a place to live. A year later, he began transforming it into what would become his largest work in progress called Luna Parc.More than three decades later, the property in Sandyston Township has grown into a 5,000-square-foot home, studio and working art environment. According to SPACES Archives, the property now has 11 levels and 15 rooms, with each part reflecting Boscarino’s work as an artist and craftsman.Boscarino, also known as Ricky of Luna Parc, comes from an artistic family. His family history, according to the Luna Parc website, goes back to the time of the Medici. He has continued that connection through his own work in metal, clay, glass, wood and cement.He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1982. His interest in creating unusual and detailed objects had developed much earlier. As a young student, he was recognised for making carefully crafted dioramas, including scenes of cockroaches in beauty salons and nativity scenes.
Cabin became life-sized artwork
Boscarino started transforming the New Jersey cabin in 1989. What began as a 600-square-foot structure eventually became a much larger space that combines his home and atelier.SPACES Archives describes Luna Parc as a personal home, working studio, living classroom and community artist space. The property has continued to develop as Boscarino has added new elements and used different materials and objects throughout the site.The entrance itself reflects this approach. A ferrocement structure welcomes visitors to the property and has been named the ‘Artichoke Portico’ by Boscarino.Inside, the rooms have their own themes and collections. The kitchen, for example, is decorated with milk tabs and nearly 20,000 wine corks placed along the walls. Other spaces include the Hall of Hats, Nature Lab, a weaving studio, a mosaiced bathroom and the Asia Room.The Asia Room contains a set of doors that are almost 200 years old. These objects are part of the wider collection that Boscarino has built into the property over the years.
Inside, the rooms have their own themes and collections.
Objects from around the world
Boscarino is both an artist and a collector. He has travelled to more than 40 countries and brought back a practice or item from each place, incorporating them into Luna Parc.One of the spaces inside the home is the Ballroom. It contains Morse code messages, a real human skeleton and painted portraits created by Boscarino.The Ballroom is used to host artists and students for lectures and readings about different ways of working as an artist.As the house rises upwards, the spaces continue to change. Boscarino’s bedroom is on the seventh level. At the top is the Sky Walk, decorated with whirlygigs and kinetic sculptures.From the Sky Walk, there is a view across the property and the garden. The outdoor area includes a cobalt blue bottle house and a garden designed to light up at night.There is also a small purple chapel on the property. It is surrounded by a fence made from crutches that Boscarino created in honour of his grandfather.The Chapel of the Saints and the crutch fence commemorate an event that Boscarino’s grandfather witnessed as a child. According to the SPACES account, his grandfather saw a young man regain the ability to walk in front of him.
Young artists learn at Luna Parc
The property is not only Boscarino’s home and studio. Beyond the garden and chapel is his Atelier, where he works with interns who are young local artists.The programme gives them an opportunity to learn his techniques and craft. It also aims to show them another way of living and working as an artist.This part of Luna Parc became more formally organised in 2015, when Boscarino established the Luna Parc Atelier Foundation Inc. The foundation is an official non-profit.The foundation’s programme also focuses on helping apprentices develop practical skills. According to the Luna Parc website, it “teaches apprentices hand working and business skills necessary to succeed as self-supporting artists,” while also caring for the home and its future.Luna Parc is not generally open to the public for tours. SPACES notes that visits are limited to certain Open House days.
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