If you stroll across school grounds through the ‘Enchanted Forest’ toward the Homestead, you will see a new addition to The Storm King School’s growing collection of outdoor art installations. Earlier this fall, Mundillo (Little World), a steel sculpture by artist Samantha Holmes, arrived from New York City to find its permanent home on the SKS campus.

Mundillo came to SKS thanks to the generous efforts of alumnus and former trustee Racey Gilbert ’60, who traveled to campus along with the artist, Ms. Holmes, to witness the sculpture’s arrival and celebrate its installation near Mighty Oak– another outdoor sculpture previously donated by Mr. Gilbert.

Alumnus and former trustee Racey Gilbert ’60, sculptress Samantha Holmes, and Head of School Jon Lamb

“My overall feeling is that sprinkling fine art through the campus [is] beneficial for the School in lifting the spirits of the community as well as raising the level of aesthetic panache,” Mr. Gilbert explained as his reasoning for donating the sculptures.

According to sculptress Samantha Holmes, Mundillo was created as “a monument to women’s work and the cultural dynamism of New York City.” Its filigreed structure reflects the patterns of traditional Puerto Rican lacework found in the home and the openings in the sculpture’s surface are designed to “fill with the colors and textures of its surroundings,” thus “weaving the vibrancy of the surrounding community into the very fabric” of the sculpture itself.

Before coming to Storm King, Mundillo was originally commissioned in 2020-2021 for installation at West Farms Square in Bronx, New York as a Community Commission by the New York City Department of Transportation Arts in partnership with the Bronx River Arts Center. In 2021-2022, the sculpture was reinstalled at 97th Street and Amsterdam Ave. by NYC DOT Arts and the Columbus Amsterdam Business Improvement District. When Mr. Gilbert heard about the sculpture’s availability this year, he felt it would make a wonderful addition to the campus of his alma mater; to be placed “on the same green sword” as another piece he donated in previous years, Mighty Oak.

Many thanks go out to Mr. Gilbert and Ms. Holmes for making the arrival and installation of Mundillo possible for the Storm King School community to enjoy for many years to come.