Culture
10,000 acre sculpture park in MONTANA
“Inverted Portal” was commissioned by the Tippet Rise Art Center; Ensemble Studio created this permanent installation. Two rock-like pieces lean toward each other touching at the peaks. The structures are made of reinforced concrete.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Iwan Baan
In Fishtail, Montana, an area near the rolling hills of the Beartooth Mountains, there is a 10,260-acre sheep-and-cattle ranch which is home to the Tippet Rise Art Center. This newly established institution celebrates art, music, and architecture while paying homage to the nature that surrounds it.
The sprawling grounds are sprinkled with sculptures by artists such as Alexander Calder, Stephen Talasnik, and Patrick Dougherty.
Ensamble Studio’s “Domo” is made from 1,500 ton of concrete, stone, and earth. An additional 180 ton of rebar was used for this permanent installation which hosts concerts during the summertime.
Image courtesy of: Classical MPR, photographed by: Iran Baan
Initially, the center was conceived as a place for visitors to enjoy classical music in a park-like setting dotted with sculptures and buildings which are organic and feel native to the land’s formations.
The center was founded by philanthropists and artists Cathy and Peter Halstead. In June 2016, Tippet Rise Art Center was inaugurated. During the construction period until present day, it has remained a working ranch.
The Tiara Acoustic Shell.
Image courtesy of: Tippet Rise Art Center
The property also features a 100-seat, open-air performance venue called, Tiara. With a wooden canopy that sits atop of angled wooden columns, the auditorium offers amazing views of the hills in the background, the vast blue Big Sky, and the Beartooth Mountains.
This wall-less, roofless shed is able to beautifully bounce music to an outdoor crowd using only the top corners of the invisible room. The architects noted that 90% of concert sound comes from the top edge of the walls, where it meets the ceiling.
“Beethoven’s Quartet” was originally installed at Store King Art Center in New York.
Image courtesy of: Arch Daily, photographed by: Andre Constantini
Mark di Suvero is considered one of the most influential artists of his generations to emerge from the abstract expressionist era. Di Suvero revolutionized the world of sculpture with his large-scale steel sculptures. The intent was to take art outside and experience art out of the museums’ walls. Clearly, “Beethoven’s Quartet” was meant to hold court at the Tippet Rise Art Center.
“Satellite #5: Pioneer” was inspired by the NASA missions of the same name.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Erik Petersen
Stephen Talasnik is a structural artist who specialized in site-specific installations. “Satellite #5: Pioneer” is the first of a series of “nomadic” wooden installations that Talasnik has planned for the park. Each piece is meant to “speak” to one another.
“Satellite #5: Pioneer” includes basket weavings, Italian Futurism, and photographs of explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated “Endurance” as inspiration.
