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At Storm King, visitors are encouraged to enjoy nature as well as art, to
meander on trails and discover sculptures, or to traverse the fields to walk
among monumental works. The grounds are under a carefully supervised program of
maintenance and change. Recently the Art Center has developed the North Trail
and a wooded grove with sculptures, and has restored several walking paths.
Creative Farming:
Much of the open area in Storm King's 500 acres were farmed for more than two hundred years, until agriculture in the Hudson Valley became harder to sustain. In the second part of the 20th century, the fields lost much of their beauty and became susceptible to invasive plants.
In 1997, we started a multi-year program to reintroduce native long grasses and wildflowers into our fields. We have been helped in this endeavor by Darrel Morrison, Senior Landscape Planner & Designer for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas and the Storm King Art Center's landscape architect, William A. Rutherford.
We have already had great success with the creation of flowing islands of alfalfa, buckwheat, and oats. Wide mowed walkways meander through these fields to provide access to sculptures.
Landscape Symposium held at Storm King Art Center,
"Landscape and Sculpture: Refuge and Prospect"
On October 21, 2000 a
beautiful Saturday, an enthusiastic crowd of our members attended the symposium
organized by the Landscape Committee of the Storm King Art Center. Invitations
were accepted by 250 individuals, who enjoyed fascinating addresses, panel
discussions, a picnic lunch, and tours of the Art Center grounds. In the
morning, speakers included H. Peter Stern, Strom King's Chairman and President,
Alice Cary Brown, Chairman of the landscape Committee, moderator Laurie Olin of
Olin Partnership, landscape architect Diana Balmori, artist Mark di Suvero, and
land manger and Conservationist George Frampton. The Afternoon session included
J. Carter Brown, Director Emeritus of the National Gallery of Art, Washington,
DC, Irving Lavin of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, artist Andy
Goldsworthy, and historian John Dixon Hunt. During the proceedings H. Peter
Stern awarded Storm king's landscape architect William Rutherford, Sr., a
citation and framed group of views if the Art Center in appreciation for his 40
years of magnificent service to Storm King. His Wife, architect Joyce
Rutherford, was also given a citation with photographs of her projects in
appreciation for her imaginative work on the museum building and ancillary
structures.
Thanks to Fund Raising Effort Many New Trees Planted
A
total of 85 trees were planted during the fall of 2000. Forty-seven maple trees
medium height (approximately 22 feet) and various varieties, and 38 fir trees of
various types, approximately 10 feet in height. In 2001 more trees will be
planted in the area near the New York State Thruway, where the land has been
shaped with gravel, and where new paths and parking areas are planned, as well
as various other area.
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