Storm King Art Center is a museum and sculpture park in the Hudson Valley, about an hour north of New York City. Founded in 1960, Storm King encompasses 500 acres with more than 100 post-World War II sculptures, including work by David Smith, Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, Donald Judd, and Claes Oldenburg. We spoke with David R. Collens, director and curator since 1976, about what makes Storm King special. 

You must know the terrain exceptionally well, given your long tenure at Storm King. Do you have favorite spots within the property? 
There are many wonderful locations. Storm King is a variety of different landscapes: open fields with native grasses, wooded areas where people can walk on trails, and the more formal area around the museum, which is a 1935 Normandy-style building with a slate roof. 

How do you decide where to site a given work, whether you are borrowing or acquiring? 
For me the process involves walking around the property all year long, thinking about potential sculpture locations. Where possible I work with the artists or artists’ representatives; their views are always taken into account. We consider the scale of a sculpture, the overall size, how it appears from different angles, and how it fits into a particular space. I think it’s important with large-scale sculpture for people to be able to circulate around and, if appropriate, through a piece. Each sculpture has its own place; we’re not crowded with sculpture. 

Wildlife is abundant on the property. Are animals drawn to particular sculptures? 
I would say that birds such as hawks and eagles like to perch on the taller sculptures – works by Calder and Mark di Suvero, Tal Streeter’s Endless Column, Menashe Kadishman’s Suspended; these are 30 feet high or more. The birds like to be able to keep an eye on the ground level, with mice and other animals running around that they might be after. Deer, Canada geese, and wild turkeys are attracted to certain sculptures because of their reflective surfaces. We have fox, too; it’s quite a diverse range. Occasionally a bear comes through. Not frequently, but it does happen.

About a dozen sculptures have been commissioned for the center over the years. Tell us about a recent one.
A new acquisition by Alyson Shotz called Mirror Fence is absolutely spectacular. We just completed the process of acquiring it and putting it into a permanent material. When it came to Storm King as a loan, it was wood and reflective plexiglass, 140 feet long – a picket fence, 36 inches high. People loved it from the beginning, and we were fortunate to be able to raise the money to put it into industrial glass. We had been thinking of stainless steel, but we couldn’t get the right polish with stainless steel. People love to sit or lie on the ground and take photographs of it because it reflects the mountains, the sky, the leaves on the trees, the people sitting there.

Are artists who make work for the outdoors different from other artists?
Usually artists are developing their careers and then become challenged to think about the outdoors. I don’t think it happens right away, because outdoor sculpture is significantly more difficult, challenging, and expensive; it must hold up well in different weather conditions. Whether or not they use a fabrication shop, these artists are doing work that is very high-tech. At Storm King we have a climate that is very difficult. We often have plenty of snow and ice and long winters, and summers can be very hot. Sculptures have to stay up all year long; they need maintenance and conservation work on a regular basis. It’s not a forgiving landscape. 

Are there artists who welcome the effects of weather?
Andy Goldsworthy, maker of the Storm King wall, likes the process of weathering. The wall’s stones are from the property. He’s an artist who wants to let things happen the way nature wants it to go. 

Tell us about the annual summer solstice celebration.
It’s been magical. We’ve got the mountains, the tall grasses blowing around, and 200 people. We always hold the event with a full moon coming out. We do a tour around on a tram to see the property in moonlight. 

Some 80,000 people visit each year. What draws them?
A lot of people come up because we’re 50 miles north of New York, the Hudson Valley is beautiful, the landscape is very special, and the sculpture collection is extraordinary. You don’t have to be an expert on sculpture to enjoy Storm King.

How do you feel about this being your life’s work?
It takes my breath away to this day.