Presented by Storm King Art Center and SVA Theatre….
Join Mark Dion for a program inspired by his architectural follies and upcoming exhibition at Storm King Art Center. Since the mid-1990s, Dion has frequently employed the form of the architectural folly in his ongoing investigation of intersections between culture and nature. Visitors to these compact, decorative structures are invited to peer through windows and doors, and in some instances enter and explore their intricate interiors. Through these enclosed installations Dion makes possible his presentation of complex visual material in public and outdoor spaces.
Admission to this program is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open approximately 30 minutes prior to the event. Registration for the event is available here. General Admission RSVPs are appreciated and suggested for updates about the event. Please note, however, we cannot guarantee admittance.
Questions? Please email: [email protected]
Mark Dion was born in 1961 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He initially studied in 1981-2 at the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford in Connecticut, which awarded him a BFA (1986) and honorary doctorate in 2002. From 1983 to 1984 he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York and then the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program (1984-1985). He is an Honorary Fellow of Falmouth University in the UK (2014), and has an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (Ph.D.) from The Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia (2015).  Dion has received numerous awards, including the ninth annual Larry Aldrich Foundation Award (2001); The Joan Mitchell Foundation Award (2007); and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Lucida Art Award (2008).  He has had major exhibitions at the Miami Art Museum (2006); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2004); Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut (2003); Tate Gallery, London (1999); and the British Museum of Natural History in London (2007). “Neukom Vivarium” (2006), a permanent outdoor installation and learning lab for the Olympic Sculpture Park, was commissioned by the Seattle Art Museum. Dion produced a major permanent commission, OCEANOMANIA: Souvenirs of Mysterious Seas for the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. In 2016 Dion and his curatorial collaborator Sarina Basta produced the large-scale exhibition, ExtraNaturel: Voyage initiatique dans la collection des Beaux-Arts de Paris, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Mark Dion is co-director of Mildred’s Lane, an innovative visual art education and residency program in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania. Dion lives with his wife and frequent collaborator, Dana Sherwood, in Copake, NY and works worldwide.
Moderated by Nora Lawrence, Senior Curator, Storm King Art Center.
Opening May 4, Mark Dion: Follies is a major survey at Storm King Art Center uniting the artist’s signature follies, some of which are recreated and made site specific, along with related drawings and prints.