Historic Altamont has introduced plans for Journey at Rest, a life-size bronze sculpture proposed for the center of the village. The work will mark the northern terminus of the Long Path and bring a significant work of public art into the village, one that invites both reflection and connection to the surrounding Helderberg landscape.

 

The sculpture will be installed on a bench adjacent to the Altamont Community Kiosk, which opened in 2025 with support from Albany County’s ARPA program. The kiosk, designed in a Victorian style to complement the village’s historic architecture, serves as both a welcoming hub for visitors and the new northern terminus for Long Path through-hikers, an over 350-mile trail stretching from Manhattan to Altamont and onward to the Adirondacks.  

 

The sculpture depicts a seated hiker at rest, capturing a quiet moment at the end of a long journey. It reflects both the physical accomplishment of completing the more than 350-mile trail and the universal experience of exhaustion paired with inspiration at a journey’s end.

 

To maintain continuity within the village’s public spaces, the sculpture will be seated on a bench identical to those already found in Orsini Park, Schilling Park, and near the Village Offices, allowing the installation to blend naturally into existing community gathering places.

 

Historic Altamont, a volunteer-led nonprofit organization, is guiding the project. The sculpture is intended to strengthen the village’s “third spaces,” the shared places where community life unfolds outside of home and work, while fitting naturally within Altamont’s historic character and surrounding landscape.

 

For local residents, the sculpture is envisioned as a familiar and welcoming presence over time. For hikers completing the more than 350-mile Long Path, it will offer a place to pause, take photographs and mark the end of their journey.

 

The work is being created by sculptor Craig Campbell, a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society. The design and maquette phases are complete, and full-scale fabrication is now underway. Installation is anticipated in fall 2026, with a public unveiling planned for late September.

 

In the coming months, Historic Altamont will share updates as the project progresses, including opportunities to view the maquette and participate in a community naming contest. 

 

The sculpture will be installed beside a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk and is designed to encourage sitting, conversation, and quiet reflection. Historic Altamont will oversee long-term care and stewardship of the work.

 

The project is supported in part by the Advance Albany County Alliance Arts and Culture Grant program, the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Fund of The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, the Joseph Robert Foundation, Ellen Jabbur, and additional private donors.