Discovering Art in the Landscape: Storm King

Earlier this month, I visited my daughter up in the Hudson Valley where she goes to school. If you’ve never been to that area, you should put it on the top of your list. There is a beauty to the Hudson Valley in that the Hudson River and the rolling mountains play off each other. 

One area that I’ve wanted to visit for the past three years is the Storm King Art Center. This open-air museum has long captivated me; and clearly I am not alone as these rolling landscapes have long drawn artists, thinkers, and craftspeople. Set amongst meadows and maple groves are stunning and monumental sculptures. Look in any direction and you will notice a hillside or a valley dotted with steel or stone… and silence. This impactful environment struck me as a reminder of how powerful it can be when art becomes an essential dialogue with its environment. 

At Storm King, you literally walk with the work. You can approach the sculpture slowly, taking into perspective how the art changes little by little as you get nearer to the piece. You can lie beneath the sculpture or do a handstand using it as support. What struck me time and time again was how the sculptures’ scales demanded attention and stillness. 

It was a reminder that art doesn’t have to be something that’s behind glass; but rather, it can be something that is integrated into everyday life. My stroll through this beautiful environment reminded me of so many things that are actually “art” when you take time to consider. This all brought me full-circle back to our Trove artists who create freely, creatively, and with personal intention. What we see in Anne’s wooden sculptures or Merve’s organic ceramic vessels may be quite different than what they envisioned while creating; however that is what makes art personal. And that is why I feel so fortunate to champion Trove’s incredible makers from all over the world. 

Upon entry, you encounter Alexander Calder’s “The Arch”… a monumental, black steel structure that is composed of three unique shapes that form an arch. The specific placement of each piece allows the visitors to move around to different vantage points for altered perspectives. From some locations, the structure appears to be flat; yet from other spots, there is a distinct sense of movement to the sculpture. My  favorite however was Menashe Kadisman’s “Suspended.” For years I’ve wanted to personally “take in” this seemingly gravity defying balancing act. From a distance, the balancing appears incredulous; up close, the massive steel work becomes apparent and the piece’s structural viability is even harder to comprehend. The two enormous masses seemingly float freely in space bringing to mind so many perplexing quandaries.

And while walking and admiring and contemplating amongst nature and the art placed within it, I naturally reverted back to, “what does art mean and what is art?” For me, the answer isn’t complex at all… rather, I think it is personal and individualistic. I believe that art speaks to you in an impactful way that causes a sort of emotional connection. Whether it conjures up a memory or something you aspire to, art should be what you make of it. And sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be that serious! While walking around “Suspended,” I found myself up-side down in an imperfect handstand. My husband snapped a photo and I was reminded that perhaps part of art is to make us take pause: to slow down, to settle in, and to just “be’?