Last Thursday, August 27, the Storm King Art Center held its free admissions day. It was a beautiful day, and I just want to share with you some photos of the beautiful grounds.
Located in New Windsor, New York, the Storm King Art Center is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture park on beautiful landscape. Even if you don't think you'll appreciate these giant modern art sculptures, you can still thoroughly enjoy the park by walking or biking on the grounds, sitting by the lakes, and picnicking while enjoying the views. The park is great for children to run around, and even adults who cannot walk too much - a tram is available to pick up and drop off visitors throughout the park.
If you drive to the park, there are very helpful guides at the entrance to direct you to where to park. If you are not driving, there are several public transportation options via NJ transit or coach buses directly to the park. You will receive a map and guide, so you do not need to worry about getting lost.
The Storm King Art Center is divided into 4 areas. I started at the South Fields area, which is the largest and contains many of large scale sculptures. You will see several well known sculptures by Mark Di Suvero, and one of my favorite, the Three Legged Buddha by Zhang Huan. The landscape in this area is beautiful. At the Southern side of the park is a beautiful lake, where you will find a giant canoe with a mermaid on it, painted by Roy Lichtenstein.
Check out the little guy enjoying the park
The Three Legged Buddha by Zhang Huan
The Mermaid by Roy Lichtenstein
Just North of the South Fields area, you will find the Museum Hill area, which includes the museum building. There are some smaller sculptures in that area. Currently there is a special exhibition, "Lynda Benglish: Water Sources", which is a centered around the outdoor water fountains. It will be on display through November.
From the Water Sources Exhibit by Lynda Benglis
Walking towards the Northern park of the Museum Hill area, you will be at a high vantage point. You can enjoy a great view of the sculpture and hills to the South. That area has some large sculptures as well, until you arrive at the North Woods area. True to its name, it is a wooded, shaded area that mostly contain smaller-scale sculptures.
Unfortunately I ran out of time, and have probably half the sculptures in the North Woods and Meadows area. But Storm King is not really a place for you to rush and see all the sculptures. There is a cafe in the North Woods area, and there are picnic tables throughout the park to make a relaxing and enjoyable day in nature.
Unfortunately, all the Storm King free admissions day are over. However, it is definitely worth visiting in the fall and enjoy the art along with the foliage. If you plan to visit:
Storm King Art Center
Opens April 1 to October 31
Hours: Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am-5:30pm
opens 10am-8pm on Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day. Opens Labor Day and Columbus Day 10am-5:30pm.
Admissions is $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, $8 for ages 5-18 and students