Hudson Valley

Sculpture Park at Omi International Arts Center | Ghent, NY

February 11, 2015

Sculpture Park at Art OMI | Ghent, NY - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Last year, we went to the renowned Storm King Art Center down in Orange County; this year we’re exploring more of our new home, Columbia County. In the nearby town of Ghent is The Fields Sculpture Park at Omi International Arts Center, which contains dozens of large-scale works from modern artists, on over 100 acres of fields and woodlands.

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Many of these works are impressive by virtue of their size, others by the messages they convey. Some, like the top photo, appear to defy gravity. It’s fascinating to see how these artists work with various materials to produce something meaningful and how each piece contrasts or fits with the natural surroundings.

We visited The Fields with Juno on a cold but mostly snow-less day in January, and then Andy went back during a snowstorm for some more interesting shots. It’s fun to compare his before-and-after photos.

Below, a steel piece by Alexandre Arrechea entitled Helmsley (based on the NYC building of the same name):

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring

I didn’t even notice that it was a building until I researched the artist later!

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Juno and I on Chaise Gabion by Celeste Roberge:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Haresh Lalvani creates aesthetically stunning sculptures derived from natural designs, generative principles and mathematical codes. His  X-Pod 138 and X-Tower are both made of stainless steel:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]Nice view from inside the tower:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Jackie Ferrara’s wooden Ribbed Dome:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

The next two sculptures are my favorites. It’s rare that I immediately identify with a piece of art, but as soon as I saw Alison Saar’s Summer and Winter, I said “Yup, that’s me!”.

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

And in the snow:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Some rather large heads by artist Philip Grausman:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Another (more snowy) perspective on the topmost photo, Forrest Myers’ Valledor, linked metal cubes:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

A commonly photographed piece:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Me, on my first trip to Omi International Arts Center (yes, I shaved my head on purpose):

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Everyone’s favorite place for selfies is Margaret Evangeline’s Gunshot Landscape, mirror-polished double-sided stainless steel suspended by aircraft cable in the middle of the woods. Here are some more fun then-and-now shots! Andy and I, one month into dating in July 2007:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

And they seem to have raised the mirror, so we aren’t as close, but here we are in January 2012:

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

And January 2015!

Sculpture Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

re Park at Art OMI - Sweet and Savoring [photo by Andy Milford]

Returning to The Fields Sculpture Park over a period of years is intriguing: seeing new exhibits, visiting old favorites, and the passing of seasons adds a whole other element to appreciating this unique open-air museum.

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The nitty gritty: The Fields Sculpture Park and Architecture OMI are free and open year round during daylight hours. It is located on County Route 22 in Ghent, NY, half an hour southeast of Albany and two and a half hours north of NYC. The park is pet and kid friendly, and requires a lot of walking (plan for at least an hour). In the summer, bicycles are available for use on designated paths and in the winter, cross-country skiing is another free option.

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  • Kelly February 11, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    The pod piece reminds me of a pod on the coast in Porto, Portugal and the Tower reminds me of the city hall building…the Gherkin, I think it’s called, in London. Thank you for this! Pinned for future reference.
    Kelly recently posted…Valentine’s Day on a BudgetMy Profile

    • Christy February 11, 2015 at 9:30 pm

      Now I know what to look out for whenever I make it to Portugal! And London, of course. Thanks for pinning 🙂

  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine February 11, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    Wow, that is so awesome! I would love to go on a photo shoot there! (Perfect for yoga photos too!)
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Peanut Butter Puff GranolaMy Profile

    • Christy February 11, 2015 at 9:34 pm

      You’re right, it is a great place for a photo shoot- they have weddings there and yoga photos are a good idea (passing that on to a friend…)!

  • Bailey K. February 11, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    I didn’t realize that Helmsley was a building until you said so either! But I love it the most, I think.

    • Christy February 11, 2015 at 9:38 pm

      Isn’t that so funny? To think that I was standing right in front of it- I even took that picture with Andy and didn’t notice! I consider myself a typically observant person, haha.

  • Leslie February 11, 2015 at 9:03 pm

    I love love love art & sculpture museums. This place looks really awesome too. The photos with the snow makes them so magestic. I love it! I also think it’s cool you guys still go after the years.
    Leslie recently posted…“Blueberry Muffin Murder” Book ReviewMy Profile

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 8:07 pm

      Yes, me too, Leslie. I like the effect of the snow…but in reality, I think we’re all over the snow in our daily lives at this point, haha 🙂

  • Melissa February 11, 2015 at 10:28 pm

    I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this. I live near Albany. This looks like cool to visit. Need to go once the weather gets better.
    My favorite ones were the building and my face.
    Melissa

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Glad to let you know of a cool spot to visit not too far away! Thanks for coming by, Melissa!

  • Nikki Vergakes February 11, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    Those are so original!

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      I know, and it’s so fun going back and seeing what pieces are still there and what’s new each time!

  • Kristen @ 31 Million Seconds February 12, 2015 at 10:22 am

    I’m so glad you took a picture of Andy in the skyscraper piece because I was immediately fascinated by that one and I wondered just how big or small is actually was. That’s an amazing piece of art!
    Kristen @ 31 Million Seconds recently posted…Midweek RandomnessMy Profile

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 7:52 pm

      A little sense of scale is a good thing with stuff like this 🙂

  • Rachel February 12, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    This looks like such an interesting place! Great photos. I love that you shared some from different visits and seasons.
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    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks, Rachel! I was hoping it wasn’t just me that was fascinated by the then-and-now shots.

  • Tamara February 12, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    I know about Storm King but not this. I love that you have both old and new photos of the same places. A friend did that with a trip he took to EPCOT in 1985 and then one he took last month. It reminded me of this.
    And such beautiful and haunting sculptures!
    Tamara recently posted…Sister, Sister.My Profile

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 8:04 pm

      Now I’m wondering what other places we have then-and-now pictures from, it’s so much fun!

  • Carolann February 13, 2015 at 12:06 pm

    Wow I would love to go there and take some pics! What a fun day that must have been!

    • Christy February 13, 2015 at 8:05 pm

      Always fun- and a good way to get a nice long walk in 🙂

  • AwesomelyOZ February 14, 2015 at 9:23 am

    That’s so awesome! Especially since you seem to do it periodically, it’s wonderful to compare the before and after photos and your experiences. Hope you have a wonderful weekend and Happy Valentine’s Day Christy! -Iva

    • Christy February 14, 2015 at 5:40 pm

      Thanks Iva, Happy Valentine’s to you, too!

  • Jessica H. February 18, 2015 at 9:32 am

    I have always wanted to visit one of these sculpture parks. So beautiful, especially in the snow!

    • Christy February 18, 2015 at 10:31 am

      Do it! The snow makes the sculptures even more intriguing!

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