Home & Garden Publications

A year-long look at our 100 favorite places

Sunset, Oct, 1998 by Christine Colasurdo

The art of the landscape

From Pacific Coast totem carvers to Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe, artists have always found a home in the West. As a result, the region is punctuated with works of art that transcend the conventional museum. Here's a sampling of mile-wide "earthworks" and other eye-opening places.

77 Stonehenge Memorial, Maryhill, WA. It dates from 1918 - long before earthworks became a recognized category of artistic endeavor. But entrepreneur Sam Hill's full-size replica of Stonehenge possesses an unsettling power. Each of the outer pillars is 16 feet tall; the central altar stone spreads 4 by 8 feet. WHERE: Maryhill, 104 miles east of Portland. SEASON: Year-round. COST: Free. CONTACT: Maryhill Museum of Art; (509) 773-3733.

78 The Lightning Field, near Quemado, NM. Take in a thunderstorm at Walter De Maria's The Lightning Field, where 400 polished steel rods, spaced over a 1-mile by 1-kilometer site, connect earth to sky in the most fiery way. WHERE: About 150 miles southwest of Albuquerque. SEASON: May through October. COST: $85-$110, depending on the month you visit; includes accommodations and meals. The overnight stay is by reservation only. CONTACT: (505) 898-3335 or www.diacenter.org/ltproj.>79 Double Negative, near Overton, NV. Inspired by Egyptian ruins, in 1969 Michael Heizer dynamited and bulldozed his Double Negative monument out of the Mormon mesa overlooking the Virgin River. WHERE: About 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. SEASON: Year-round. COST: Free. CONTACT: L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art; (213) 621-2766. FYI: For the adventurous only - you need to four-wheel-drive over open desert.

80 Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle. Ever since Dale Chihuly founded Pilchuck near Seattle in 1971, the Emerald City has exploded with glassworks, including public collections at Sea-Tac airport and downtown at the City Centre Building, 1420 Fifth Avenue. You can watch glass being blown at some of the city's 20 galleries featuring glass. For a list of galleries, call Glasshouse Studio at (206) 682-9939. To visit Pilchuck, in May only, call (360) 445-3111.

81 Tour of Murals, Los Angeles. The City of Angels is also the mural capital of the world, with some 1,000 murals in greater L.A., 100 in downtown alone. Create your own tour or take one with a group. COST: Free brochure; guided tours $25. CONTACT: (310) 822-9560 or (213) 481-1186.

82 Harrison Collection of Calligraphy, San Francisco. Some of the world's most accomplished calligraphers call San Francisco home, so it's no wonder that the city's library houses one of the best collections of contemporary pieces seen anywhere. WHERE: The San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St. WHEN: Tue-Sun. COST: Free. CONTACT: (415) 557-4560.

83 Cowichan Native Village, Duncan, B.C. Along with the world-renowned 'Ksan Historical Village (see Sunset, May 1998), Duncan offers visitors a chance to see Northwest Indian wood carving in action. With 80 totems, Duncan is known as the "city of totems," and its Cowichan Native Village includes a longhouse and gallery WHERE: 37 miles north of Victoria. SEASON: Year-round. WHEN: 9-5 daily. COST: $8 Canadian. CONTACT: (250) 746-8119.

84 Ghost Ranch Living Museum, Abiquiu, NM. Georgia O'Keeffe's studio is not open to the public, but you can hike through the landscape she immortalized in her paintings. Many trails begin near the Ghost Ranch Living Museum, a wildlife sanctuary in the Carson National Forest. But before you head there, be sure to stop by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe (505/995-0785) to see the landscape first through the artist's eyes. WHERE: The living museum is 70 miles northwest of Santa Fe. SEASON: Year-round. WHEN: 9 - 4 Tue-Sun. COST: $3. CONTACT: (505) 685-4312.