Garrison Art Center is pleased to present Environmental Works, an exhibition of newly created sculptures by Kurt Steger, as well as earlier works.

Combining locally harvested rock and wood as substrate for pigments and rust patinas, Steger probes both the underpinnings of nature that we use to construct our lives and the materials with which we build our existence. The meticulously intimate process of scribing wood to stone allows him the time to experience and contemplate the primal act of connecting two fundamental materials together. From this contemplation and focused handwork, Steger has formulated a kind of philosophical viewpoint that hands possess a profound intelligence and act as a bridge or balancing point between the intellectual and intuitive aspects of our natures.

The sculptures start as small at 10” tall, but have a powerful impact.
Steger states: “The stacked box forms in the sculptures represent the compartmentalized way we tend to think... The box forms, though structurally sound, are precariously balanced and could topple; similarly, humanity is in a precarious moment of balance in its evolutionary process. The balance that we must achieve to endure sustainability and equilibrium is in our minds and in our heart; it is the balance of our masculine and feminine natures.”

Steger’s sculptures address the interdependent relationship between man and his environment. His interest in psychology, shamanism, and the healing properties of art and nature are present throughout his work. He has been sculpting for over three decades and has his work in private, public and museum collections, both nationally and internationally. In 2017 he received a NYFA Foundation Grant. He is originally from California and has recently moved from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley.

This solo exhibition will be on view in the Riverside Galleries concurrently with Leslie Bender’s solo exhibition of paintings from March 16 – May 5.
Riverside Galleries at Garrison Art Center are open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm, and located on the banks of the Hudson River, next door to the Metro North Hudson Line, Garrison stop.