Meet Kurt Steger | Sculptor and architectural designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kurt Steger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kurt, how do you think about risk?
Risk has been central to my life and career, and has had a major influence in my creative process. Even the choice to be an artist was based on the risk that somehow I could make a living and survive doing what I love to do. Joseph Campbell famously said to “follow your bliss”, and as a young man I took these words to heart, trusting that by doing so, all else would fall into place. In a conversation with a financial planner years ago, I was told how much I would have to set aside per month to prepare for retirement. Instead of following his advice, I decided to invest the money into time in my studio, creating art that would generate the income that would be my pension in old age. Risk-taking also plays an important role in my process of creating sculptures. I know my medium so well that I’m confident in pushing the boundaries of the materials, trusting that my execution will be solid. This confidence, built over four decades of working with a variety of materials, allows me to take risks and trust my intuition when designing a piece or a structure, knowing that I have the skills to pull it off. Currently I’m creating my most ambitious project, and taking my biggest risk, to date. I’m in the final stages of building a new studio from the ground up: designed, built, and soon to be occupied by yours truly. It has been my life’s dream, and I was very fortunate to have the financial support to finally make it happen. It started three years ago with the purchase of a house and small parcel of land an hour north of New York City, and the foundation for my studio was poured last July. It’s an ideal sculpture studio, and the space will also be used for various woodworking commissions, furniture making, classes, and art shows. The area surrounding the studio will be used to showcase outdoor sculpture (mine as well as other artists), and there will be a small amphitheater for showcasing poets, musicians, and artist talks. Ultimately, this will be a place to bring people together, create community, and share ideas.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My sculptural work is born from my love of woodworking. I’ve been a woodworker and builder for more than four decades, and have worked on a wide variety of projects from mansions to coffins, boats, furniture, propellers, and a Buddhist temple. All of this experience goes into my sculptures. I work from a belief that art is a sacred act, and the artist is a shaman. I take that responsibility seriously, and regard my work as an agent of psychological and spiritual healing. I’ve created ritual-based works that bring people together in ceremony, such as my “Burden Boat Project” which was conducted at Virginia Tech after the shootings there, and at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, at their memorial for the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. Interactive pieces like the “Burden Boat ” invite the participation of those present: in this case, they were encouraged to write their burdens on slips of paper and place them in the stylized boat, and the papers were then burnt in a ritual of release. I like my work to foster conversations among strangers. My “Lodge” series consists of a structure made from wood and living materials such as vines. I built two Lodges in Brooklyn and one in Maine, and people were invited to enter the Lodge and simply talk with one another. There were no rules; we simply talked about our lives, and listened to each other. It was very moving to bring strangers together and have them speak so openly about their concerns.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We live so close to NYC that I’d want to spend a day there, showing them my favorite haunts. When my wife and I lived in Brooklyn, we often went to Life Cafe in Bushwick, by far our favorite bar and bartenders. I’d also give them a walking tour of the famous street art and murals in Bushwick. Closer to home, I’d take them to Magazzino, the modern Italian art museum not far from where we live, and then up the road to DIA Beacon, which has a fantastic collection of contemporary art. And in the summer, I’d take them to Storm King on the other side of the Hudson River, a beautiful outdoor sculpture center, with rolling hills and some of the best sculptures in the world.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been fortunate to have had many people who have helped me along my creative journey. I’ve always aspired to create meaningful work with a high level of craftsmanship, and this pursuit has attracted the interest of other woodworkers who have encouraged and often supported me. There have been several times over the years when I’ve moved to a new town and didn’t have a place to work, or the tools I needed to get started. Each time, fellow woodworkers have given me tools and equipment, shared shop spaces, and offered instruction, all in the spirit of mutual respect and the desire to support a fellow craftsperson. In this spirit of generosity, I hope to give back as much as I’ve been given.

Website: www.stegersculpture.com

Instagram: stegerkurt

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Image Credits
Guenter Knop