Ed Smith’s “Amazon” (2013) is part of the ‘Art in Nature’ exhibition at Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, NJ (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)
This week, we invite you to leave the city and explore the world outside NYC. Here are our tips for art to see in sculpture parks, small museums that you’ll love, great exhibitions in cities that are too close to pass up, and even a movie under the stars.
‘Art in Nature’ at Greenwood Gardens
When: Just opened and on until November 2 (Free with general admission, $10)
Where: Greenwood Gardens (274 Old Short Hills, Short Hills, New Jersey)
Organized in collaboration with Studio Montclair, Greenwood Gardens is hosting Art in Nature, an exhibition consisting of over 30 sculptural works curated by Karen Wilkin. Located in the affluent town of Short Hills, New Jersey (about an hour away from Manhattan), the 28-acre Greenwood Gardens adheres to the “Arts & Crafts and Classical approaches to garden design,” boasting a manor house, italianate terraces, and three-foot tall chess set pieces. William Tucker, Jon Isherwood, William Boepple, and Mia Westerlund Roosen are among the artists showing at this garden setting.
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 1hr 20min; car – approx. 1hr
People enjoying Storm King at dusk. (via stormking.org)
Supermoon Screening at Storm King
When: Saturday, August 9, 7:30pm (Free with general admission)
Where: Storm King Art Center (1 Museum Road, New Windsor, New York)
To coincide with the 2014 Supermoon (known scientifically as a ‘perigee full moon’), Storm King Art Center is hosting their “first-ever film ramble,” a moon-lit screening of seven short films. Visitors will meander through Storm King’s beautiful, sculpture-laden grounds from one screening location to the next. Directors include Carlos Gomez, Wendy Morris, Rino Stefano Tagliafierro, Donato Sansone, Allison Schulnik, and Lois Patino. Bus tickets to Storm King can be purchased via Coach USA.
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 2hr 15min; car – approx. 1hr 45min
Paul Cézanne, Vermeer, and African-American Art in Philly
When: Paul Cézanne through September 22 ($14); Vermeer through September 30 ($20); and Harmon & Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art through October 12 ($15)
Where: Barnes Foundation (2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (118 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Johannes Vermeer, “Young Woman Seated at a Virginal” (c. 1670–72), oil on canvas, 9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (25.1 x 20 cm) (© The Leiden Collection, New York)
Debuting at the Barnes Foundation, The World is an Apple: The Still Lives of Paul Cézanne presents a “select gathering” (read: tightly and thematically curated) selection of the artist’s still lives. A good excuse for anyone who has yet to visit the highly controversial foundation since its relocation to Center City Philadelphia.
I also suggest you check out Vermeer’s “Young Woman Seated at a Virginal,” the last Vermeer in private hands, which is on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
And if you love American art, then stop by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where you can see an extenstive exhibition of works by African-American artists. Over 70 piece from throughout the 20th century represent just a fraction of the Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of San Antonio, Texas, including art by Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, Margaret Burroughs, Elizabeth Catlett, Eldzier Cortor, Thornton Dial, Jacob Lawrence, Horace Pippin, Allyson Saar, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Charles White, and many others.
And while you’re in Philly, you could also make a weekend of it and visit the ICA, the Rodin Museum, or check out the numerous murals commissioned by the world-famous Mural Arts Program (oh, and run up the Philly Museum’s “Rocky Steps” … obviously).
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 3hr; car – approx. 2hr 30min
Two Carl Andres at the Dia Art Foundation
When: Through Monday, March 2, 2015
Where: Dia Beacon (3 Beekman Street, Beacon, New York); The Dan Flavin Art Institute (Corwith Avenue, Bridgehampton, New York)
Works by Carl Andre at Paula Cooper Gallery in 2008 (image via flickr.com/hragvartanian)
On view at Dia:Beacon, Carl Andre: Sculpture as Place, 1958-2010 is the first retrospective of the artist’s work in North America since 1978–1980. Just be sure to ask which work you’re allowed to touch, lest you incur the wrath of Dia’s staff. It is, of course, a familiar irony that works that once encouraged active participation are now protected by museological standards. While you’re at Dia:Beacon, check out the long-term exhibits, including a room dedicated to the recently deceased On Kawara.
In conjunction with Beacon, the Dan Flavin Art Institute is holding a satellite exhibition of correspondence between Andre and Sol LeWitt, consisting of over 200 pieces of ephemera. The truly committed can dedicate one half of their weekend to the Hudson Valley and the other to the Hamptons.
Distance from Union Square: BEACON: public transportation – approx. 2hr; car – approx. 2hr 30min; FLAVIN: public transportation – approx. 3hr 30min; car – approx. 2hr 15min
Seward Johnson at Grounds for Sculpture
Work by Seward Johnson (via groundsforsculpture.org)
When: Through Sunday, September 21 ($15 general admission)
Where: Grounds for Sculpture (18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, New Jersey)
Acres of parkland dotted with sculpture are located only about an hour and a half away from Penn Station via New Jersey Transit or Amtrak. Visit Grounds for Sculpture on a sunny day and stumble upon over 270 permanent works by artists including George Segal, Kiki Smith, and Tom Otterness. Through September 21, however, expect the park to be a little more crowded, as it’s hosting its largest show yet, a retrospective of Seward Johnson‘s works, including his famous “Forever Marilyn” and “Unconditional Surrender.”—CV
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 2hr; car – approx. 1hr 30min
Performance Art Now in Delaware
Pre-Raphaelites at the Delaware Art Museum (image via flickr.com/jb912)
When: Until September 21
Where: Delaware Art Museum (2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware)
Curated by RoseLee Goldberg and co-organized by Independent Curators International (ICI) and Performa, the Performance Now exhibition is a great reason to venture to Delaware. The show includes performance art–related video, ephemera, objects, and sound, and features important work by Marina Abramović, Jérôme Bel, Christian Jankowski, William Kentridge, Jesper Just, and Laurie Simmons. An added bonus is the museum’s fantastic collection of Pre-Raphaelite art.
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 3hr 30min; car – approx. 2hr 45min
Installation view of ‘Milton Resnick (1917-2004): Paintings and Works on Paper from the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Collection’ at Mana Contemporary (photo by Crystal Gwyn)
Milton Resnick in Jersey City
When: Until Friday, August 8
Where: Mana Contemporary (888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey)
A major survey of works by Milton Resnick, this exhibition spans his six-decade career and includes not only the Abstract Expressionist paintings he’s best known for but also early portraits, large allover paintings, and his late figurative works.
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 45min; car – approx. 45min
Olana in Upstate New York
A view of Olana (via flickr.com/pixelnaiad)
When: Year-round ($5 per car)
Where: Olana State Historic Site (5720 Route 9G, Hudson, New York)
The eclectic home of Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church has a fairy-tale-like quality. This 19th-century estate features a beautiful home, designed by architect Calvert Vaux, beautiful landscaping, dozens of paintings by Church and his contemporaries.
Distance from Union Square: public transportation – approx. 3hr; car – approx. 2hr 15min
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With contribution by Claire Voon
