Experiencing art as a family

Mark Di Suvero, from left: Pyramidian, 1987/1998, Mozart's Birthday, 1989, Mon Pere, Mon Pere, 1973-75

Saturday we spent the beautiful day at the superior Storm King Art Center, a sculpture museum that celebrates the relationship between art and nature.  It was founded in 1960, and in addition to its permanent collection, it's featuring a special exhibit to celebrate its 50th anniversary.  The museum is situated on more than 500 acres in the Hudson Valley, and the meadows, lakes, rolling hills and woods are as much a part of the experience as the works of art themselves.

The entire family thoroughly enjoyed the day.  It is truly a stunning place - a fabulous day-trip that's just 50 miles from NYC.  I'd recommend bringing a picnic; there are nice shaded tables, and a bottle of wine would be totally appropriate.  We couldn't have walked the entire grounds with the kids, but they've got a terrific tram that provides a view of some of their most famous works.

Since we were technically in an art museum, and since the Bug absolutely loves creating art herself, we talked a lot about the sculptures.  I explained to her that most of these works were "designs" - the artists didn't necessarily make them look "like" anything, but rather, the viewer should try to figure out what he or she intended to convey.  The Bug really got into it.  She thought this one, for example, looked like a spider web:

Kenneth Snelson, Free Ride Home, 1974

And she thought this one was Mommy, presumably because of her prominent thumbs-up:

Emilio Greco, Large Bather No. 1, 1956

And this one was a T-Rex:

George Sugarman, One, 1975-77

This super-cool floating one was at the bottom of a hill that Joker and the Bug rolled down. Try doing that at your typical art museum!

Menashe Kadishman, Suspended, 1977