On the expansive grounds of Alnoba in Kensington, New Hampshire, Harriet Lewis gazes up affectionately at the dignified visage of a towering bronze sculpture that dwarfs her petite frame. Titled “Prayer,” this emotive figure of a Native American man strikes a pose of prayerful supplication, eyes half-closed, mouth open in worship, palms upturned. Lewis’ blue eyes shine with memories of the day she and her late husband, Alan, discovered this captivating piece and its Native American creator Allan Houser (Haozous) in the artist’s New Mexico sculpture garden. “We fell madly in love with his sculptures,” Lewis declares.
Lewis found Houser’s work deeply moving, seeing in it “the face of Native American connection to a higher power.” Houser, a descendant of Geronimo, honors his people’s strength and endurance in his riveting sculptures. The Lewises purchased Houser’s “Prayer,” sparking the genesis of what would become a vast, eclectic art collection from around the globe.
In the beginning, Lewis added more works by Houser and other Native American artists, but her worldwide travels soon inspired her to include artists of diverse backgrounds and styles. British sculptor and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy soon became a favorite, and three of his works now grace Alnoba’s land. His pieces explore the relationships between humans and their natural surroundings, and the beauty in loss and regeneration. The thought provoking “Boulder House,” a dwelling of boulders built into a hillside, offers entry through a dark, forbidding doorway that Lewis aptly calls “off-putting”—something she has come to oddly love about it. Of Goldsworthy, Lewis says, “I adore the way he thinks. He is so solidly himself.”
The sculptures themselves are only part of the art experience at Alnoba. The open-air setting on the sprawling 600-acre property provides a stunning synergy between the artworks and Mother Nature. Patrick Dougherty’s “The Jealous Wall” appears to be part of the forest itself, its winding willow branches intertwining with the surrounding trees. In a meadow, a rotund black gorilla surveys his verdant domain as a family of Indian elephants woven from reeds meander nearby. There is something dynamic about these artworks, as if nature’s life force infuses them.
Lewis, a self-proclaimed “woods girl,” fits in here like a woodland sprite. But beyond her outdoorsy exterior lies the heart of a born philanthropist. The daughter of a psychiatric nurse dedicated to helping the less fortunate and an OB-GYN who delivered babies at no cost for those in need, Lewis grew up in a family of givers. Conversations around the dinner table were always about how to help people.
Alnoba, the nonprofit she co-founded with her husband in 1993, has a mission that reaches far beyond the impressive art collection. The ambitious goal is to change people’s lives through social and racial justice, environmental conservation, and leadership training. Alnoba is an Abenaki word meaning “being” or “becoming,” and the organization’s Pinnacle Leadership program helps leadership teams from all over the world “become” stronger through team building. Its youth programs teach the next generation of leaders how to make a difference in the world. “Anyone can be a leader,” says Lewis. “We grow leaders.”
Touring the trove of art on this land of goodwill is a far cry from the “hands-off” visit to a traditional art museum. Alnoba encourages touching and interacting with the sculptures—even walking and climbing on them. Orly Genger’s “Going, Going, Gone” is a children’s favorite for this reason. Its flowing crimson mass of recycled lobster ropes evokes an image of undulating red waves that fairly cry out, “climb aboard.”
Alnoba is not an art park but a Leadership and Team Development retreat. The art here is for inspiration—something that is omnipresent in this serene landscape of art and natural splendor. The exhibit is not open to the public, but those interested can go to alnoba.org/events to sign up for a tour. All proceeds go to Kensington’s Sawyer Park.
Lewis’ passion for her extraordinary outdoor display is boundless and her quest for uniquely expressive artworks is far from over. “This collection has just kept on going—and growing,” she says. “And I am not finished.”
This collection has just kept on going—and growing. And I am not finished.”