Storm King Art Center
Founded in 1960, Storm King Art Center (SKAC) is a 500-acre outdoor museum located in the rolling hills of New York’s Hudson River Valley. Storm King has a deep commitment to inclusive design, and KMA, as an institutional partner since 2018, has engaged with SKAC on a number of significant initiatives.
In 2019, KMA partnered with Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture on a campus master plan, which included a careful look at the mobility challenges presented by the center’s size and topography. The team walked the entire campus with a smart level, identifying and addressing slope issues, accessible versus inaccessible spaces, and the overall pedestrian infrastructure, including the location of trash cans, tables, bike racks, and signage.
In subsequent years, KMA provided trainings on inclusive design principles to education, curatorial, and facilities staff ranging from best practices for docents to maintenance standards for public toilet rooms. KMA also served as an owner’s rep for the design and construction of several new capital projects including a visitor’s center, the first new building constructed on the campus since Storm King was opened. The team presented universal design opportunities for rethinking the visitor arrival experience. This included how visitors are greeted and oriented at the new Visitors Center, as well as how they move about the grounds.
Most recently, KMA had the opportunity to consult on Storm King’s first permanent installation since 2020, an occupiable brick sculpture by African American sculptor Martin Puryear. Working with Reed Hilderbrand, KMA helped SKAC and the artist incorporate accessibility and inclusive design in the route that visitors take to approach, walk around, and enter the sculpture.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Creative Commons
