27 August 2012

SKAC: Outdoor Museum


Alexander Liberman, Iliad, 1974-76


This weekend My Sweets and I decided (on a whim) to head over to Storm King Art Center. What an incredible place! The sculpture park is spread over 500 acres of pretty hills, fields and wetlands. It's quite breathtaking in parts, and only an hour north of NYC.



Kenneth Snelson, Free Ride Home, 1974 (plus a mama taking a picture of her baby)




SKAC isn't intended as a children's park (obvious rules include no touching or climbing the exhibits), but I would recommend it to anyone with kids who like to walk. Admission is free for toddlers and pre-schoolers, so I only paid for two adults and one grade-schooler.


Since our visit was spur of the moment we overlooked two important details. We didn't bring any food, and we dressed inappropriately for the weather (long sleeves, 90 degrees). It's no wonder Buby and Bleu gave up halfway. There were no shortcuts back to the car, so they had to dig deep to find the strength/desire to push on; Buby more than Bleu. I was so happy Ollie had his stroller, but that also meant we couldn't hop on any of the sweet-looking trams that rolled by.




Mark di Suvero, Jambalaya, 2002-06 (in the distance)


Tal Streeter, Endless Column, 1968


View of the South Fields with Mark di Suvero sculptures, 1969-2010




Mark di Suvero, Neruda's Gate, 2005


We will absolutely go again. Next time on a cool October day, with a picnic. Maybe we'll ride that tram and enjoy the benefits of a tour guide. I think sculpture parks are a fantastic place to discuss fine art with little ones. The style, scale and texture here are so different from what they see at typical museums. Bonus: When one (or all) of the children decide they need to run off some energy -- or wander aimlessly in plain sight -- they can!





Columns on Museum Hill


Alexander Liberman, Adonai, 1970-71


Louise Nevelson, City on the High Mountain, 1983




Outdoor elevator.


Zhang Huan, Three Legged Buddha, 2007




Andy Goldsworthy, Storm King Wall, 1997-98




Andy Goldsworthy, Storm King Wall, 1997-98




Alexander Calder, The Arch, 1975




Spencer Finch, Lunar, 2011 (must be so cool at night)




Mark di Suvero, Mozart’s Birthday, 1989








The museum bldg is a 1935 Normandy-style residence constructed from salvaged stone.


We are guessing the ginormous "tumor" on this tree is a natural occurrence?






Magdalena Abakanowicz, Sarcophagi in Glass Houses, 1989


Roy Lichtenstein, Mermaid, 1994


Alexander Calder, The Arch, 1975


1 comment:

Grandma DJ said...

What a great place!! Love u forever