Ridge & Valley, 2020
Permanent Outdoor Public Art Commission
Bower Sculpture Park
Shermans Dale, PA
Video credit: Ivory Brownbeck
ivorybrownbeck@gmail.com
The Bower is a developing 36-acre sculpture park and native landscape of meadows and woodland trails along the northern slope of the Appalachian Mountains in Central Pennsylvania. Rutstein’s monumental sculpture, Ridge & Valley, was installed in August, 2020.
The Bower is nestled in the Ridge and Valley section of the Appalachian mountains. Inspiration for the sculpture came from an ecoregion map that highlights the “Pennsylvania Salient” a distinct feature of dramatic bends and folds of the Appalachians as they run through the middle of the state. The sculpture is meant to be bold but also harmonious within its surroundings- the curving organic cut out lines reminiscent of the swaying grasses of the meadow or the branch patterns of the surrounding woods. Rutstein’s freestanding, plasma-cut Corten steel sculpture spans 9 x 67 feet, is 1 3/8” thick, and weighs 17 tons. The sculpture is situated in an inclined meadow surrounded by trails and wooded areas, with vantage points stretching above and below. The expansive, cut out lines are illuminated at night with solar powered lighting. The Bower opens to the public in Spring 2021.
