Sculptor John Van Alstine at View Arts Center in Old Forge

Forging Creative Journeys: The Art of John Van Alstine

Work by John Van Alstine.

For nearly fifty years, John Van Alstine's restless inquisitiveness has fueled the creation of a monumental body of work that delves into fundamental questions in art and life. His abstract sculptures, crafted from steel and stone, represent a complex interplay between natural forces and man-made materials.

Through the balancing of stone and steel, Van Alstine's outdoor sculptures feature sweeping angular lines that convey a sense of expansiveness. They defy the weight of their steel and stone components and emphasize their inherent kinetic energies.

View Arts Center in Old Forge presents an exhibition of sculptures and drawings that reveal the depth and breadth of John Van Alstine’s remarkable creativity and talent. These works showcase his aesthetic journey from the 1980s to the present in distinctive explorations of form, composition and meaning

Two books—John Van Alstine: Sculpture 1970-2018 and American Vistas: The Life and Art of John Van Alstine—cover the artist’s life and the evolution of his art through his artworks in national and international public and private collections. They will be available for sale in the View Center gift shop.

An Adirondack original finds global recognition and acclaim.

John Van Alstine is a native of upstate New York. Born in 1952, he spent his formative years in the picturesque southern Adirondacks. Following his education at St. Lawrence University, Kent State University, and Cornell University, he began his career in academia. He first joined the faculty at the University of Wyoming, located in the scenic city of Laramie, before later moving on to teach drawing and sculpture at the University of Maryland in the vibrant College Park area.

Visit John Van Alstine’s Sculpture Garden in Wells, NY.

In 1986, he left teaching and moved to the New York City metro area to pursue studio work full-time. In 1987, he purchased a 19th-century lumberyard on the banks of the Sacandaga River in the hamlet of Wells, New York. He returned to the Adirondacks, where he now lives and works in the restored historic structure he transformed into his studio, gallery, sculpture park and residence.

Van Alstine is an American original whose art is known nationally and internationally. Van Alstine’s work is widely exhibited and found in places such as Beijing, China, and in public and private collections across America.

Visit View Arts Center website for current gallery hours.

Experience John Van Alstine’s work.

If you can’t get to the exhibit or visit Van Alstine’s sculpture garden, you can check out this video from a recent installation of his work at the famous Chesterwood in the Berkshires.

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