Art & Earth Diverge
Art and nature come together at Storm King Art Center
2, 278 feet of stone. Winding through through the barren pre-spring forest, tracing the steps of a centuries-old farm wall. What was once broken down, nearly reclaimed by the earth is now expertly balanced, impossibly perfect in its symmetry and line. Storm King Wall by Andy Goldsworthy is the sculpture that immediately tied me to this place, and the piece I go back to again and again when I find myself wandering the grounds of Storm King Art Center, a 500 acre sculpture park an hour north of New York City. Like ancient ruins, monoliths of engineering, and earth-hewn objets, more than 100 sculptures dot the rolling hills, some radiating with energy, some more difficult to spot, hidden away like Storm King Wall, awaiting discovery. Art and nature diverge in this place, tucked away in the mountains where the noise and clatter of everyday life fade into the background and the visitor is invited to sit, explore, hike, and move within, to find their own creativity hiding amid the creative works of others. Like Goldsworthy’s wall, art enmeshed with nature and the once functional stone farm wall, Storm King and places like it act as a reminder that our creativity is as natural as the world around us. That the two can function as one. As we approach Earth Day this week, take a moment to get outside, feel the earth, and allow it to inform your own creative choices. Let the clash and clang of life fade into the distance, and embrace the solitude that nature offers.
Get outside, breathe, and create.
Check out Storm King here