By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
For over 25 years, the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQHAP) has offered a unique environment for artists to create and exhibit their work in natural and gallery settings. The not-for-profit organization also provides a space for the community to explore and appreciate the natural world and to learn about art. The spring/summer 2019 schedule is filled with programs and opportunities suitable for a wide range of ages, abilities and interests.
“We are gearing up for another great summer,” said SQHAP Assistant Director Sarah Tietje-Mietz. “We all need it. We all need to get outside, to explore and to get our brains, bodies and creativity going again. It has been a very long winter.”
This May, SQHAP will celebrate Preservation Month by hosting weekly tours of the “Hilltop House” — the long-time residence of SQHAP founder Dorothy Riester. Tours will be led from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in May.
The Hilltop House and Dorothy’s studio were placed on the National Register of Historic places in 2014. The tours will provide special access to an exceptional example of mid-twentieth century modern architecture.
“It’s an amazing artist-built home,” said Tietje-Mietz. “Dorothy and her husband constructed 90 percent of the house themselves.”
Tietje-Mietz will continue the exploration into the mid-century modern design movement by partnering with the Cazenovia Public Library to present a lecture on Mid-Century Main Streets with a focus on Cazenovia. The free presentation will be held on May 14.
On May 18, SQHAP will celebrate the arrival of spring with its annual Kite Fest—a day of kite flying, crafts and family activities. The event will feature a make-your-own-kite booth and kite flying demonstrations by New York Kite Enthusiasts.
Also on the May calendar is a two-day watercolor workshop led by award-winning artist Judith Haynes Levins. The class, titled “Loosen Up Your Landscape,” will be held May 4 and 5.
June will kick off at the Art Park with its first gallery show of the year — the Emerging Artist Exhibition. The theme of this year’s show is discovery. The exhibition accepts submissions by local, national and international artists. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 1 in the John and Virginia Winner Memorial Gallery.
“This will be a great chance for the community to see our newly renovated gallery that was just completed this year,” said Tietje-Mietz. “We are really proud of the beautiful new space.”
The gallery will be open 12 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday or by appointment.
June 29 and 30, artist Sine Hjort will lead “Cutting Pictures in Paper” — a unique two-day introduction to the art of paper cutting. The workshop will teach participants to handle and fold paper, to cut basic patters, and to create and frame 3D works of art.
SQHAP is also excited to announce the return of Camping at the Art Park, an opportunity that will be offered for four consecutive weekends, beginning on June 1. Campers will be permitted to occupy four specifically selected sites on the 104-acre property.
“We allow people to camp out and explore the park at night, to wander among the sculptures and to wake up with the sunrise,” Tietje-Mietz said. “It’s a pretty unique opportunity.”
July will mark the start of SQHAP’s restructured artist-in-residency program, which will run July 7 to Aug. 11. Four artists will move onto the property to live and work, and to interact with the landscape and the community. This summer, the park will become home to sculptors Robert Bangiola and Ginny Martin, photographer Stefani Timmerman and poet Kristina Martino.
“I look forward to seeing how these diverse artists feed off of each other’s energy and the park’s energy . . . to create a really interesting body of work,” said Tietje-Mietz. “We are very excited to breathe new life into a long-standing program and to see what will come from it.”
This summer, SQHAP will once again partner with the East Area YMCA to offer Youth Art Camps, open to children ages 6-14. The half-day sessions will feature nature-inspired art projects and crafts, walks and interactions with artists. The week-long camps will run from July 8 through Aug. 9.
SQHAP will close out the summer season with the Syracuse Ceramics Guild Annual Pottery Fair. The park will host the popular art show and sale Aug. 17-18.
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is located at 3883 Stone Quarry Road, Cazenovia. The grounds are open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. A new visitor center and gift shop will be open at Hilltop House 12 to 4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday from May 1 to Nov. 1.
To learn more about SQHAP programs and events, visit sqhap.org or call 315-655-3196.
