Dorothy Riester House and Studio

Dorothy Riester was an active sculptor, an ardent conservationist and preservationist, author, and a well-known educator. Riester helped to train and influence a generation of artists, playing a role in disseminating modern and contemporary American artistic and sculptural sensibilities. Riester was an innovator who did not shy away from experimentation in her choice of materials and design concepts, a perseverance that gained her acclaim throughout her career. As a ceramicist and metal worker, Riester’s reputation as a skilled “sculptress” was on the rise in the late-50s. Riester incorporated ideas about the environment and landscape in her work and became interested in the outdoors as a space for large-scale sculpture.

In 1958, Dorothy and her husband made the pointed decision to leave the city of Syracuse and establish their home in the countryside of Cazenovia. She imbued both the home and the landscape with her unique design and modern architectural style. While living and working at Stone Quarry Hill for over 40 years Riester created a prolific collection of art in a variety of mediums, while encouraging the next generation of artists by showcasing their works throughout her property. This dual nature of her impact, both as an innovative artist and benevolent mentor, is evident on the grounds and in all aspects of the home and studio buildings.

Riester’s influence has been largely underreported. She was beyond “just” an artist, or an educator, or an author, or a preservationist, she helped to expand these fields by continuously questioning the practices, and pushing the boundaries of what she, and others, could do. Her life was the culmination of these efforts and passions, spearheaded mainly from the home and studio she created in the rural hills of central New York.

In 1991, Dorothy and Bob founded Stone Quarry Hill Art Park– a non-profit contemporary arts space with grounds and trails open to the public. The Riester's gifted their land and eventually their home and estate to the organization, and today the site continues to be open to the public year-round.