Robert Grosvenor, Untitled, 1970

This was my second visit to Storm King and it certainly lived up to the memory I had of my first experience. Though it was extremely hot out, I managed to cover all of the grounds and see some of their newest additions. If you have not been, you must make the trip. Only an hour away from NYC in the Hudson Valley, it feels like another world. Its 500 acres provides a respite from the concrete jungle of Manhattan. And the harmony of the art and surrounding landscape transports viewers into a place where time stands still.

One of my favorite pieces at the Art Center is Grosvenor’s metal work that cuts across the meadow. It seems to seamlessly blend in with the hills behind it. Commanding and serene at the same time, I am always amazed at the thinness of the work when looking at it from the side.

Grosvenor, side view

A new addition to the center as of last year is Maya Lin’s Storm King Wavefield, 2007-8. My photos do not do the work justice. The rolling hills are in perfect alignment and echo the topography of the area. Lin did not just dig out these hills but leveled the ground and then added to the space to achieve her desired effect.

Maya Lin, Storm King Wavefield, 2007-8

Unbeknownst to me the weekend I visited, a Zhang Huan sculpture had just been installed and I was lucky enough to get to see it.

Nicole and Buddha foot

Inspired by a trip to Tibet, the steel and copper work weighs 12 tons yet the legs precariously balance on the buddha’s head. A similar work is on view as a public sculpture in San Francisco. Huan hopes that this work which has already been on view in two other sites will remain at Storm King indefinitely. The work is a gift to Storm King from the artist and Pace Gallery who represents him.

Zhang Huan, Three Legged Buddha, 2007

After seeing Ursula von Rydingvard speak earlier this year, I was thrilled to see a piece she had mentioned that is another new addition to the center. As the artist told her audience, Luba, 2009-10, is the first work that has had such a thin element reaching towards the ground. In fact, it is so fragile that that portion of the sculpture had to be made of bronze (the rest is cedar which gives off a fabulous aroma). It was treated to look like the gray that the rest of the sculpture will turn after it is has weathered a bit.

Ursula von Rydingsvard, Luba 2009-2010

Part of the exhibition: 5+5: New Perspectives in which twelve works are dispersed throughout the grounds, is Alyson Shotz’s Mirror Fence. So subtle, I almost walked right by it until I read about it in the brochure and forced my friend to backtrack to go see it with me. From the front it looks green as it reflects the grassy patch that lay before it. Front behind it melts away, barely noticeable. I love that it will change depending on the time of day, the amount of sunlight, and the season. What a terrific work that will be new upon each viewing.

Alyson Shotz, Mirror Fence, 2003

Jerome Kirk’s 1972 work Orbit could be seen from the bottom of a path that meandered through the gorgeous, lush ferns.

Jerome Kirk, Orbit, 1972

I took a much needed break in Siah Armajani’s Gazebo on the way back to the parking lot. I was so lucky to visit on a day when Storm King wasn’t very crowded. It was if I had the Calder’s and di Suvero’s all to myself. What a wonderful way to spend a day.

Ooh, I need to rest. Could it be any hotter out?