This past weekend Kim and I took a group of 7 high school students to New York to see museums, galleries, architecture and meet with artists. The weather was beautiful - and I got to try out my new Fuji XT1 camera.
We arrived at Storm King Sculpture Center, in upstate NY, Saturday afternoon. This vast park is an outdoor museum for monumental sculptures by DiSuvero, Calder, Richard Serra, David Smith, Maya Lin and Andy Goldsworthy - and many more.
Calder - so playful despite being 20+ feet tall and made of steel.
Everywhere you look, sculpture.
A moment to pose by Richard Serra's partially buried wall.
The scale of the work is hard to grasp.
Sculpture of every kind - visitors can walk under the suspended section of this massive steel artwork.
Storm King gave us the opportunity to play in the woods a bit before immersing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the city.
Layers and layers of buildings, signs, people, movement, past and present.
Michelle Doll generously spent time with our group to talk about her paintings and what it is to be an artist. The painting-in-progress on the wall is being created for an exhibition in Oslo, Norway.
Ear with underpainting and sketch lines.
Michelle helped shed light on the the life of an artist while also inspiring these young creatives.
We walked...a lot...but at times we enjoyed the convenience of the subway.
A brief visit to the 9/11 memorial in the financial district revealed aquatic-inspired architecture and a dark time in our nation's recent past.
Memorial rose.
Gorgeous weather revealed contrail patterns in the dramatic skyline.
Hoban grad, Kristina Deckert, took time out of her busy day to bring us into her workplace, Audubon. She is a graphic designer at Audubon, involved with many aspects of the non-profit which includes designing the magazine, all promotional collateral and the website.
Audubon is a leader in research, conservation and education about avian species.
We also spent time with Kristina's creative team, including Sabine (project manager, pictured right), Camilla (photographer) and Mike (videographer and photographer).
The beautiful weather revealed many living things.
Buds along High Line Park.
Studio plants.
We enjoyed some great food along the way. Students like Artichoke Pizza in Chelsea.
Tacombi in SoHo was also a favorite.
One of the traditions of this trip (and of most of my visits to New York) is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. This 149 year old structure has an elevated pedestrian walkway that provides an unobstructed view of Manhattan.
Looking south you see the Statue of Liberty.
Look north and the Williamsburg Bridge and Empire State Building greet you.
The bridge's suspension cables and gothic arches are oft-photographed and mesmerizing.
A visit to the city isn't complete without time spent in the MoMA and Whitney. This year we also checked out the new branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met Breuer.
One of these is a sculpture. Amazing realism by Duane Hanson.
There's always time for Chuck Close.
One bust made of chocolate, one made of hand lotion. Part of the Unfinished exhibition at Met Breuer.
Chunky figure painting by Lucian Freud.
Hands carved from marble - abandoned and unfinished.
An in-process Mondrian painting revealed the developmental stages of this minimalist painter.
The Whitney Museum's outdoor overlook areas were welcome attractions on a sunny day.
This unfinished painting by JMW Turner has the feel of an abstract expressionist work from the mid-1950's despite it being created in early 1800's. This guy is the real "painter of light."
Giant POV - peering into an architectural model at MoMA.
So much to see while walking on the High Line.
Looking back-atcha.
Super Pier.
An unfinished portrait with an erased face.
Sometimes you have to look away from the art - shadowplay at MoMA.
Cindy Sherman is dismissive and haunting.
Pattern and color everywhere you look.
Anti-Scotty Dog signage.
Lights waterfall down the Whitney stairwell.
Power to the (tightly cropped) people.
Heavy reflection at Gagosian Gallery in mid-town.
We had a wonderful group that listened, looked, asked great questions and knew how to laugh at themselves and each other.
Until next time New York. Thanks for the hospitality.