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Hudson Valley Home – Storm King Art Center

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Nestled amongst the rolling hills next to Storm King Mountain in the Town of Cornwall, the Storm King Art Center is an outdoor museum and sculpture park, like nothing I have ever seen before. With massive sculptures and art installations spread throughout open fields and forested areas over several hundred acres, it showcases art on a scale that is hard to describe.

The first time we visited Storm King, was as a day-trip from NYC, when we still lived in the City (the Art Center is roughly 60 miles north of NYC). Since moving to the Hudson Valley, it has become one of my favorite places to take out of town guests.

A view of Storm King Art Center across a green field with several large sculptures made from black metal. Field is dotted with several trees, forest and mountains are in the background.
View up and through a large triangular black sculpture towards a bright blue sky. Green field, trees, and mountains in background.
View up and through red sculpture made of angled red tubes. Sky and trees can be seen in backgroun.

Visiting the Park

One of the things that I love most about Storm King is how the art is integrated within the beauty of the landscape, as if both the sculpture and the land are Art. There are many permanent installations that have not changed over the years that I have visited, but still I find that every time there is something new, either that is part of a shorter term installation, or that I missed before, because of how so many pieces of art are tucked away in hidden fields or forests.

I like to explore the Art Center on foot, setting out across the expansive grassy areas on foot, or wandering on the meandering paths, but this is not the only way to explore. There is a motorized tram that runs on a route that circles the park with frequent “stops” to hop on and hop off, and there are also bicycle rentals onsite.

Green grass field with body of water in middle and grassy area with trees on far side. A shiny metal wing-shaped sculpture on posts sits on the grass.
View facing up a grassy hill towards large black triangular sculpture in distance. Tree line and blue sky in background.
Dark bronze colored metal statute balanced on what appears to be legs and feet standing on a head-shaped piece of metal on grassy field.

Visiting Tips

From visiting the Storm King over a number of years, here are some things that I wish I had known before my first visit:

  • The Center is a popular destination for visitors from New York City as well as out of state, so best to arrive early in the morning or visit outside of the high summer season or fall leaf season.
  • There are bike rentals onsite, but you are not permitting to ride personal bikes.
  • Bring water: It can get quite hot during the summer, with many areas of limited shade with a long distance to the closest water fountain.
  • There is a cafe that operates on a seasonal basis with limited food options.
  • There are covered and uncovered picnic tables, and laying down a picnic blanket is also allowed (but dont bring a camp stove or plan to cook).
  • The Center closes for the during the late fall and winter and reopens in the spring
  • Storm King does not allow pets (other than service animals).
Brown/black metal sculpture made of large cylindrical tubes stacked horizontal, vertical, and at an angle on green grass field. Wooded area directly to right on statute, forest, and mountains in background.

Follow our exploration of the area around our Home in the Hudson Valley including favorite day trips and excursions an easy drive from New York City with more posts from Hudson Valley Home

DIY- Making a Cutting Board from Hardwood

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In our Kitchen at home we have a large variety of cutting boards we have collected over the years, from simple bamboo boards to heavy butcher block style boards with layers of multi-colored wood. I have always wanted to make my own cutting board, so when the opportunity came up to take a weekend-long class at the Hudson River Maritime Museum to learn how to make a cutting board, I was quick to sign up. This class also taught how to create a charcuterie board/wire cheese slicer (read about it here).

Taking Classes at the Wooden Boat School

The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, NY teaches a wide-variety of hands-on woodworking, boat building, and other handcraft classes in their fully outfitted woodworking shop.

Taught by a wide range of experts, artists, builders, and makers, classes at the Boat School have become one of my favorite activities since moving to the Hudson Valley. I love supporting and being inspired by local craftspeople, while learning new skills, and having the satisfaction of bringing something I made, home with me at the end of the class.

Boards of oak, maple, ash, and walnut clamped together with wood glue on a woodworking bench. Woodshop with benches and tools in background.
Boards of oak, maple, ash, and walnut clamped together with wood glue on a woodworking bench. Woodshop with benches and tools in background.

Cutting Board Layout

The first step for making the cutting board was to pick my materials. For the class the instructor provided a wide variety pre-cut boards that came from a local sawmill. Oak, Maple, Ash, Walnut, or any other hardwood are a good choice for a cheese or cutting board, because they stand up well to use. Thin strips of Oak and Maple were used as spacers and to give this cheese board the desired look.

I selected a grouping of hardwood boards based on the color and texture of the grain as well as a varied length that would allow for creation of the extended handle and curvature that is in the finished project.

After picking boards and dry fitting together, I added a liberal amount of wood glue in-between each piece and secured the pieces with clamps on our bench to dry overnight. Glue can get messy, so I put down plastic sheeting. Any glue that bubbles out from between the boards will be removed later when the board is planed and sanded to a consistent finish.

Cutting board pieces of oak, maple, ash, and walnut are glued together with an extended board that will form the handle of the cutting board. Laying on a woodworking bench.
Cutting board pieces of oak, maple, ash, and walnut are glued together with an extended board that will form the handle of the cutting board that has been rounded off. Laying on a woodworking bench.
Cutting board pieces of oak, maple, ash, and walnut are glued together with an extended board that will form the handle of the cutting board that has been rounded off and a hold drilled in it. Laying on a woodworking bench.
Cutting board sits on a woodworking bench. An orbital sander, sandpaper disk, and charcuterie board in foreground. Woodworking tools and a light wood rectangle cutting board in background.

The next day, after the glue had dried, I used a pencil to trace the curve on the wood that would create the flow from handle to board and then cut using a band saw. A hand saw could also be used. This cut was initially rough and was smoothed with a sander and sand paper.

Finished cutting board has been oiled, is held resting on woodworking table. Woodshop in background.
Finished cutting board has been oiled, is held resting on woodworking table. Woodshop in background.

In the final steps, I drilled a hole in the handle using a drill press, sanded the board starting from 80 grit sandpaper down to 220 grit. I finished the board with a food safe butcher block oil.

Get inspired to do it yourself with more projects in our DIY series.

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