Arlene Shechet’s exhibition “Girl Group” features a total of sixty-two artworks, including six large-scale outdoor sculptures commissioned by the Storm King Art Center. This project showcases the artist’s recent creations in materials such as wood, steel, ceramic, paper, and bronze, alongside six new monumental pieces specifically designed for Storm King. 

The exhibition’s playful title humorously critiques the traditionally male-dominated elements of monumental sculpture. Over her decades-long career, the artist has focused on the emotional connections, archival themes, and intimate interactions between subjects and objects. This show challenges the often overly serious nature of modernist sculpture, employing a blend of subtlety, elegance, and wit.

The six outdoor sculptures resonate on their own yet collectively form a harmonious ensemble. With titles like Dawn, Rapunzel, and As April, these pieces assert a feminine identity and suggest a fresh perspective within the realm of constructed metal sculpture. 

Dawn (2024) features a fluid, tulip-like form made up of matte peach, glossy lilac, and unpainted aluminum planes, some of which are reflective. This piece is formally inspired by Shechet's more compact ceramic work "Together: 8 p.m." (2020). Additionally, Dawn’s delicate color scheme pays tribute to David Smith’s "Study in Arcs" (1957) located in the park, although its inverted triangular shape conveys a sense of fragility that is largely absent in Smith's piece.

One standout, Midnight (2024), revels in the dramatic potential of three-dimensional art. Its horizontal design integrates with the base, while its elliptical movement creates ambiguity about where the sculpture starts and ends. Like the other outdoor pieces, Midnight proudly displays its construction, revealing welded areas through its ground-level curves, punctuated by openings and adorned in sunset hues reminiscent of Alexander Calder’s red stabile, also featured in the park.

Shechet, an American artist born in 1951, emphasizes process and improvisation, skillfully utilizing geometry, line, color, and form in her works that are spread across the center’s expansive hills, fields, and galleries. Her approach reflects a continuous exploration of various sculptural materials, experimenting with their ability to capture color and light while shaping form and volume. Moreover, her self-referential sculptural language serves as an emotional commentary on the often-overlooked vulnerabilities of sculpture, which can be influenced by various external factors, from weather to historical context.