Four Outdoor Sculpture Parks Take Art Exhibits to New Heights

Check out these massive sculptures set against the Valley’s bucolic landscapes

Indoor art museums are educational treasures and great places to stroll in inclement weather, but come summer we’re tempted to enjoy outdoor art in a bucolic landscape.

Storm King Art Center Mountainville
A major new show debuts this season at Storm King, the acclaimed 500-acre outdoor sculpture park known for its 100-plus large-scale sculptures. Dennis Oppenheim’s work in Terrestrial Studio traces the late sculptor’s lifelong engagement with outdoor space. The exhibition will be installed both inside and out. One of the pieces, “Entrance to a Garden” — a perforated metal sculpture that takes the form a large, blue men’s dress shirt and tie — is perched on top of a hill. To enjoy Storm King’s vast acreage, rent a bicycle ($8 an hour, $10 on weekends). Free trams are also available. 845-534-3115; www.stormking.org

Fields Sculpture Park at OMI International Ghent
OMI, which is open year-round, celebrates its season opening on June 14 with an annual festival complete with refreshments, hayrides, art workshops, and exhibitions. Guests can choose to take a guided tour of the 60-acre park or take a leisurely ride through its six sections on a bicycle (available at the visitor center). 518-392-4747; www.artomi.org

architectural cactus #6 dennis oppenheim storm king art center harvey feit opus 40

Architectural Cactus #6, one of Dennis Oppenheim’s sculptures on view at Storm King Art Center (left); a feline art lover admires a section of Harvey Feit’s bluestone sculpture at Opus 40 (right)

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Opus 40 Saugerties
Harvey Feit’s six-acre bluestone sculpture park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. You can wander into the Quarryman’s Museum and learn what tools Feit used to construct his works. 845-246-3400; www.opus40.org

Bradford Graves Sculpture Park Kerhonkson
The park reopens on June 4 despite a fire last year that destroyed 30 of the 200 stone, clay, and bronze sculptures that adorn the manicured grounds. Admission is free, but appointments are necessary, and there is wheelchair accessibility. 845-230-0521; www.bradfordgravessculpturepark.com

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