Storm King Art Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Storm King Art Center |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Mountainville, New York, US |
| Created | 1960 |
| Public transit access | Beacon, Salisbury Mills–Cornwall |
Storm King Art Center, often called Storm King, is a huge outdoor museum in New Windsor, New York. It is named after the nearby Storm King Mountain. This amazing place has one of the largest collections of modern outdoor sculptures in the United States.
Storm King was started in 1960 by Ralph E. Ogden. At first, it was a museum for paintings. But soon, it became famous for its large sculptures. Many famous artists from the 20th century have their works here. The entire area covers about 500 acres (200 hectares). It is located about an hour's drive north of New York City.
Contents
How Storm King Started
In 1958, a man named Ralph E. Ogden bought a large piece of land. It was 180 acres in Mountainville, New York. In 1960, he opened this land to the public. He called it Storm King Art Center. He started by showing some small sculptures he had bought in Europe.
Growing the Collection
In 1967, Ralph Ogden added 13 more sculptures. These were made by a famous artist named David Smith. At first, the sculptures were mostly around the main building. Over time, the collection grew and spread out into the landscape.
The land and the main house were redesigned. William and Joyce Rutherford, who were landscape architects, helped with this. Later, Peter Stern, who worked with Ogden, became the center's chairman. He continued to add many well-known sculptures after Ogden passed away in 1974.
Saving Important Art
In 1975, five very large sculptures by Mark di Suvero were on display. They were at the Whitney Museum of American Art. These sculptures were going to be taken apart. But Peter Stern asked if they could be shown at Storm King instead. Now, these huge artworks are a big part of the South Fields at Storm King.
Throughout the late 1900s, Storm King kept adding to its permanent collection. It also showed artworks from other museums. For example, in 1982, the Museum of Modern Art loaned four sculptures to Storm King. This happened while their own sculpture garden was being fixed.
Expanding the Land
In 1985, Storm King received a big gift of land. This was for its 25th anniversary. The Star Expansion Company donated two more areas. One was 2,300 acres on nearby Schunnemunk Mountain. This mountain is a beautiful background for many of the huge sculptures. The other was a 100-acre piece of farmland next to the center. This new land has been used for even more artworks.
Amazing Art Collection
Storm King has many sculptures by modern art masters. These include artists like Alexander Calder, David Smith, Mark di Suvero, and Henry Moore. You can also see works by Isamu Noguchi, Richard Serra, and Louise Nevelson.
The center also features large sculptures by more recent artists. Some of these artists are Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alice Aycock, Andy Goldsworthy, and Roy Lichtenstein. One of the newer additions is Maya Lin's Storm King Wavefield (2009). This artwork has seven long rows of wavy land forms. It looks like giant waves in the grass!
Exploring the Grounds
The huge sculptures at Storm King are placed all over the property. There are four main areas to explore:
- The North Woods: A wooded area in the northeast part of the property.
- Museum Hill: A raised area on the east side. It offers great views of the land and sculptures around it.
- The Meadows: This includes the western edge of the park and its entrance.
- The South Fields: A wide-open space in the southwest part of the center.
How the Land Was Shaped
The landscape at Storm King Art Center has been specially changed. The grounds were shaped to fit each new large artwork. This was especially true for artworks made specifically for that spot. For example, the area where the museum building now stands was once dug up for gravel. This happened in the 1950s for building the New York State Thruway. The land had to be rebuilt when the art center was created.
Storm King Art Center offers many fun activities for visitors. You can rent bicycles to ride around the grounds. There are also guided trolley rides to see the art.
Influence on Other Places
A collector named Alan Gibbs said that Storm King was a big inspiration for him. He created Gibbs Farm, which is his own private outdoor sculpture museum in New Zealand.
See Also
- List of sculpture parks
