Andres Institute of Art

I met a friend on Monday and spent the day at the Andres Institute of Art in New Hampshire.  It's an outdoor sculpture park located on a defunct downhill ski slope.  Visiting the park was a bit like being on a treasure hunt:  map in hand we headed out to see what we could find.

Most of the trails were in the shade of the trees.  The sculptures were a mix of stone and metal.  Each piece was a surprise.  Some were easy to spot, dominating a clearing.  Others were tucked under rocky overhangs or embedded in the ground.  We happened to use the paper map, rather than the interactive app, so we didn't know what the sculpture would look like until we found it.  Some had a name, artist, origin and date next to it (sometimes painted on badly-faded or rotting board).  Most had a little numbered medallion tacked to a nearby tree for reference - it's how we confirmed where we were on the map.

 

The first one we came across looked like the back of a dragon buried in the ground.  It appeared and disappeared along the forest floor.  The triangles were lead hammered into the stone.

The photo next to that made me think of Pompeii.  It was named Transitions which I thought was an appropriate name with the nest tucked into the left corner (complete with two eggs and one newly-hatched chick).

I was drawn to the metallic sculptures.  They were generally easier to spot that the stone pieces that blended in with the rocky ground.  The rust and black stood out against the green backgrounds.  There was one piece we saw with glass in it - it was the most colorful of the lot.

The stone sculptures were all so different:  rough, smooth, polished, abstract and realistic.  Most were under the shade of the trees - a few others were out in the sun where the shadows highlighted the curves and texture of the figures. 

The artists were from all over the US and all over the world.  We were impressed where some of the artwork originated.

The view from the top was excellent.  This was sculpture #1 - Phoenix, facing west.

This next one was kind of cool - named In-Side.  It looked like a split rock from a distance, but the figures inside appeared once we stepped up close.

These were a fun mix of metal and stone.  I really liked the goats (artist from Syria).  The stylus looked like it had written on the stone (artist from Hawaii/Japan). 

One made me think of my cross stitch frame, and the middle reminded me of a round robin quilt (artist from the Republic of Georgia).  And the last one, called Mbari House came from Nigeria. 

One of the last ones we came across was named The Old Man in the Mountain's New Home.  We had approached it from the other direction, in which none of the stone was visible.  Then as I got closer, I thought:  what an odd box filled with rocks.  It wasn't until I passed it and turned back, I realized what it was, and found the placard that confirmed it was the Old Man of the Mountain (albeit in reverse).  I remember when it sheared off (was it really 20 years ago?!?).

Wow, what fun!  We had so many different reaction to all the artwork.  Some we'd take guesses at what they represented before we found the name of the piece.  Some just begged to be touched, others actually invited you to sit and contemplate.  I would love to return there in a year or three, find the few pieces we missed and see what else has been added.