Stone Quarry Hill Art Park

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is a public, outdoor art park located in Cazenovia, New York. It consists of 108 acres (44 ha) of land and over four miles of hiking trails. Founded by Dorothy and Robert Riester, it became an official venue in 1991 and is one of the first art parks to be established in the United States. [ [http://www.stonequarryhillartpark.org/about.htm Stone Quarry Hill Art Park Website - About] ]

The Art Park serves a dual mission: preservation of the land, and the creation and exhibition of works inspired by the relationship between art and nature. ["Art and the Land" Dorothy Riester, 2006] It showcases both established and emerging artists including sculptors, installation artists, performance and 2-dimensional fine artists. Its venues include permanent and visiting outdoor installations, the Winner Gallery and an artist in residency program. In addition, the park hosts several annual events including the Syracuse Ceramic Guild Pottery Fair, and Kite Fest. Its educational program hosts demonstrations and lecturers, as well as a children's summer camp. The park is operated by a small hired staff, a working Board of Directors, and volunteers.

Cazenovia was established in 1793 by John Linklaen. In the 1840s the quarry was opened, giving the area its name today. The foundations, hedgerows and a few apple tree plantings make up the "Homestead Site," the oldest remains on the property. This was the site of the early 19th century farm of Mary Hackley. ["Art and the Land" Dorothy Riester, 2006] Edwin and Gulda Clark united the land briefly in the 1920s. The Riesters made their first land purchase in 1958, which included the then uninhabited hilltop. From 1959–1965 they worked on building a house on the hilltop. Dorothy designed the house, shaped like a cone on its side, in keeping with the contours of the hill and considering the wind direction and bedrock of the land. ["Art and the Land" Dorothy Riester, 2006] The Hilltop House is a work of art in itself, much of it hand built by the couple. It is complete with a six-walled library and music room, a greenhouse plant room, handmade tiles for the kitchen and bath, sand-casted walls and fireplace, concrete work and painting, all entering from an ivy-inhabited Genkong. An A-frame art studio was also built to accommodate Dorothy's practice. In 1970 the site began its path as a place of artistic activity with the addition of the Art Barn studio, which became a base for the Syracuse Ceramic Guild. The studio was equipped with electric, salt and raku kilns, and has hosted lectures from ceramicists including Franz Wildenhain and Daniel Rhodes.

Pieces

References

External links

* [http://www.stonequarryhillartpark.org/index.htm Stone Quarry Hill Art Park's Official Website]
* [http://www.stonequarryhillartpark.org/events/light2.htm Stone Quarry Hill Art Park Event Archive]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonequarryhillartpark/ Images of The Pieces]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonequarryhillartparkphotos Images of the Park Landscape]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonequarryhillartparkcommunity/ Images of Park Events]
* [http://www.sculpture.net/community/archive/index.php/t-1941.html Article on Sculpture.net Forumn vBulletin v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000–2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd]
* [http://www.its-allhere.com/sculpture-open-air "Sculpture In the Open Air" arcticle by Leah Hansen]