Ongoing
NEW! Digital Audio Tours Launch The Olana Partnership has been working to expand the interpretation of Olana to include self-guided options in addition to staff guided tours. Currently, Olana has two downloadable tours visitors can choose from. The first downloadable tour, launched last year, is the Digital Historic Landscape Tour; it is designed to accompany you on your walk along the Ridge Road carriage road. New this season is Artist Brian Dewan curates Frederic Church’s Letters & 19th Century Ballads Tour. This tour can be listened to in any location but we recommend listening as you stroll any of the carriage roads designed by Frederic Church. While you walk you can contemplate Church’s life and words as well as the words of his family, contemporaries; and these are layered with songs from their era. Artist and musician Brian Dewan does a dramatic reading of significant letters in Olana’s collection.
Saturday, July 22
The Olana Summer Party | OLANA ’67: A Public Work of Art
The Olana Partnership invites you to imagine 1967 and celebrate the 50th anniversary of when Olana opened as a public work of art. Top regional chefs will create 1967-inspired hors d’oeuvres and a DJ will spin tunes from this era on Olana’s East Lawn.
5-6PM VIP Pre-Party Reception | 6-8PM Main Cocktail Event
To learn more click here.
Tuesday, July 25
FREE! Pathways to Prevention: Nutrition and Brain Health
Join Columbia Memorial Health dietitian and nutrition expert Sarah Thomsen-Ferreira as she discusses new and exciting research findings that connect nutrition and brain health. Participants will experience a 20-minute talk, followed by a short walk with the expert on Olana’s carriage roads. Snacks will be served. Snacks will be served.
5:30PM | Free | All Ages | Rain or shine
Friday, July 28
Artist on Art Tour: Catherine Lord
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | All Ages
Saturday, July 29
FREE! Museum Storytelling: Family Tours
Master storyteller Tom Lee has spent the winter writing and tracking the adventurous travels of Frederic Church to craft an original story to tell inside the main house at Olana. Lee uses art, objects and stories to help young people (and grown-ups!) fall in love with museums. He integrates traditional stories, myths, and legends from countries and cultures around the world to expand and collapse history.
9AM | Free | Ages 5+
Saturday, July 29
Tom Lee Question Tour
Master storyteller Tom Lee is a professional storyteller with twenty years’ experience performing traditional stories, folktales and myths for adults and for children in museums and libraries. This special tour is what happens when your questions about Olana get layered with myths, stories and more questions. You will learn many truths- but you might be surprised how you get there.
11:30AM | Individual: $15 | Ages 10+
Friday, August 4
Artist on Art Tour: Mariella Bisson
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Friday, August 25
Artist on Art Tour: Catherine Lord
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Saturday, August 26
FREE! Museum Storytelling: Family Tours
Master storyteller Tom Lee has spent the winter writing and tracking the adventurous travels of Frederic Church to craft an original story to tell inside the main house at Olana. Lee uses art, objects and stories to help young people (and grown-ups!) fall in love with museums. He integrates traditional stories, myths, and legends from countries and cultures around the world to expand and collapse history.
9AM | Free | Ages 5+
Saturday, August 26
Tom Lee Question Tour
Master storyteller Tom Lee is a professional storyteller with twenty years’ experience performing traditional stories, folktales and myths for adults and for children in museums and libraries. This special tour is what happens when your questions about Olana get layered with myths, stories and more questions. You will learn many truths- but you might be surprised how you get there.
11:30AM | Individual: $15 | Ages 10+
Photo Credit: Rebecca Ganellen
Saturday, August 26
Garden Dialogues
Working in collaboration with The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) this tour of Olana focuses on the significance of the landscape and its impact on art. Part of TCLF’s nationwide Garden Dialogues program, the tour will be led by landscape architects, artists and others featured participants who will offer personal insights and observations about Olana and its influence on them, and engage in a broader conversation with attendees.
3PM | Individual: $60 | Ages 12+ | Details on www.olana.org
Tuesday, August 29
FREE! Pathways to Prevention: Treating Joint Pain & Arthritis
Join Columbia Memorial Health orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Gorczynski and learn more about treatment strategies for arthritis and ways to get relief from joint pain. Participants will experience a 20-minute talk, followed by a short walk with the expert on Olana’s carriage roads. Snacks will be served. Snacks will be served.
5:30PM | Free | All Ages | Rain or shine
Friday, September 1
Artist on Art Tour: Maia Cruz Palileo
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, September 1
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 2
Food Truck Picnic Day
Gracie’s food truck is a local institution and serves up made-from-scratch American classics. On Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Gracie’s will be parked at Olana so you can purchase your picnic brunch, lunch, or dinner with an awesome view! Picnic revellers are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, and a cooler.
11AM-7PM | All Ages | www.graciestruckny.com
Saturday, September 2
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, September 8
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Photo Credit: Robert Goldwitz
Saturday, September 9
Traveling Talks: Geology and Olana’s Hudson River Region
Join Robert Titus, Ph.D, Hartwick College Geology Professor on Olana’s East Lawn, to learn about the geological history of Olana. The hike will also explore the natural forces that shaped Frederic Church’s artist-designed landscape. With Titus as your guide, science meets storytelling. We will hike about 1.5 miles followed by healthy seasonal snacks!
10AM | Member: $5, Non-Member: $10 | Ages 5+
Photo Credit: Amy DiLalla
Saturday, September 9
Explore & Create: The Art of Stones
Join local Etsy artist of The Peach Tree, Amy DiLalla, for a special jewelry making class. Take a look at the stones in Church’s collection, be inspired and create your own piece of jewelry to take home. A pop-up store by The Peach Tree will be on location. Abridged tour of the main house followed by art-making. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35 | Ages 12+
Saturday, September 9
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Sunday, September 10
10th Annual Barry Hopkins Run
Spend the morning on this 3.8-mile course traversing the historic carriage roads at Frederic Church’s Olana. This event is a collaboration with the Onteora Running Club and supports arts education in the Catskill School District. Please register online or on race day. Rain or shine. Free t-shirt to the first 75 people who register.
Registration Opens 8:30am | Children’s Run 9am | Adult Run 9:30am | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | All ages
Friday, September 15
Artist on Art Tour: Jackie Goss & Jenny Perlin
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, September 15
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 16
Tasty History: Bittersweet Tales from Latin America
This series explores the trade, customs, and recipes of essential Latin American ingredients and natural resources including rum, sugar, coffee & chocolate. New York State Curator Amanda Massie and Valerie Balint, Olana’s former Interim Director of Collections & Research, set the historical stage for an evening of tasty treats prepared by a local chef and bittersweet tales.
3PM | Member: $25, Non-Member: $30 | Ages 21+
Saturday, September 16
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, September 22
Performing Olana: Frederic Church living his art
Olana and Ancram Opera House collaborate to produce a theater performance specifically created to take place in the landscape of the historic site. The dramatic work draws inspiration from Frederic Church’s paintings, letters, family life and the celebrated landscape and is presented as an immersive theater experience in which performer and audience journey together into Church’s art.
6PM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $40 | Ages 8+
Friday, September 22
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 23
Performing Olana: Frederic Church living his art
Olana and Ancram Opera House collaborate to produce a theater performance specifically created to take place in the landscape of the historic site. The dramatic work draws inspiration from Frederic Church’s paintings, letters, family life and the celebrated landscape and is presented as an immersive theater experience in which performer and audience journey together into Church’s art.
6PM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $40 | Ages 8+
Saturday, September 23
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Sunday, September 24
Performing Olana: Frederic Church living his art
Olana and Ancram Opera House collaborate to produce a theater performance specifically created to take place in the landscape of the historic site. The dramatic work draws inspiration from Frederic Church’s paintings, letters, family life and the celebrated landscape and is presented as an immersive theater experience in which performer and audience journey together into Church’s art.
6PM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $40 | Ages 8+
Friday, September 29
Artist on Art Tour: Mariella Bisson
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, September 29
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 30
FREE! Museum Storytelling: Family Tours
Master storyteller Tom Lee has spent the winter writing and tracking the adventurous travels of Frederic Church to craft an original story to tell inside the main house at Olana. Lee uses art, objects and stories to help young people (and grown-ups!) fall in love with museums. He integrates traditional stories, myths, and legends from countries and cultures around the world to expand and collapse history.
9AM | Free | Ages 5+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 30
Tom Lee Question Tour
Master storyteller Tom Lee is a professional storyteller with twenty years’ experience performing traditional stories, folktales and myths for adults and for children in museums and libraries. This special tour is what happens when your questions about Olana get layered with myths, stories and more questions. You will learn many truths- but you might be surprised how you get there.
11:30AM | Individual: $15 | Ages 10+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, September 30
Tasty History: Bittersweet Tales from Latin America
This series explores the trade, customs, and recipes of essential Latin American ingredients and natural resources including rum, sugar, coffee & chocolate. New York State Curator Amanda Massie and Valerie Balint, Olana’s former Interim Director of Collections & Research, set the historical stage for an evening of tasty treats prepared by a local chef and bittersweet tales.
3PM | Member: $25, Non-Member: $30 | Ages 21+
Saturday, September 30
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Thursday, October 5
The 2nd Hudson Valley Plein Air Festival Visits Olana
Organized by the Wallkill River School, this festival will be active in multiple locations around the Hudson River Valley. Painters from across the nation gather to continue the plein air landscape painting tradition of Frederic Church’s masterpieces and are happy to interact with visitors. Paintings will be on sale at Orange Hall Gallery, SUNY Orange, Middletown, NY from October 8 – October 27.
8:30AM – Sunset | Free | All Ages
Friday, October 6
Artist on Art Tour: Carrie Bradley
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 6
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, October 7
Tasty History: Bittersweet Tales from Latin America
This series explores the trade, customs, and recipes of essential Latin American ingredients and natural resources including rum, sugar, coffee & chocolate. New York State Curator AmandaMassie and Valerie Balint, Olana’s former Interim Director of Collection and Research, set the historical stage for an evening of tasty treats and bittersweet tales.
3PM | Member: $25, Non-Member: $30 | Ages 21+
Saturday, October 7
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 13
Artist on Art Tour: Maia Cruz Palileo
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 13
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Photo Credit: Martin Seck, 2013
Saturday, October 14
OVERLOOK: Luis Pérez-Oramas on Landscape and Jesús Rafael Soto
Olana and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) are in dialogue this season as we continue to explore the ways in which 19th century landscape art inspired contemporary art in the Americas. Join Luis Pérez-Oramas, Ph.D, The Estrellita Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art at The Museum of Modern Art in NY to learn more about artist Jesús Rafael Soto, whose work, part of CPPC collections, is installed on the grounds of Olana this season. Soto was a Venezuelan kinetic artist inspired by landscape, perception and interactivity with his viewers. Illustrated lecture followed by Q&A and an abridged tour of the exhibition OVERLOOK. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 15+
STUDIO CIRCLE TOWER TOUR | 6PM Studio Circle members and above are invited to attend the lecture for free and to enjoy an exclusive tour of the Studio Tower, an area of the house not open to the public. To participate in this rare opportunity – join today!
Saturday, October 14
Food Truck Picnic Day
Gracie’s food truck is a local institution and serves up made-from-scratch American classics. Gracie’s will be parked at Olana so you can purchase your picnic brunch, lunch, or dinner with an awesome view! Picnic revellers are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, and a cooler.
11AM-6PM | All Ages | www.graciestruckny.com
Saturday, October 14
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 20
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Ganellen
Saturday, October 21
Astronomy Night
Join Willie Yee, Ph.D, President and Joe Macagne, Vice President of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association for a presentation and 21st century exploration of the night sky at Olana. Come learn about the sky by looking through telescopes and finding celestial forms.
8PM | Member: $5, Non-Member: $10 | All Ages
Saturday, October 21
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 27
Artist on Art Tour: Mariel Fiori
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, October 27
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, October 28
FREE! Museum Storytelling: Family Tours
Master storyteller Tom Lee has spent the winter writing and tracking the adventurous travels of Frederic Church to craft an original story to tell inside the main house at Olana. Lee uses art, objects and stories to help young people (and grown-ups!) fall in love with museums. He integrates traditional stories, myths, and legends from countries and cultures around the world to expand and collapse history.
9AM | Free | Ages 5+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, October 28
Tom Lee Question Tour
Master storyteller Tom Lee is a professional storyteller with twenty years’ experience performing traditional stories, folktales and myths for adults and for children in museums and libraries. This special tour is what happens when your questions about Olana get layered with myths, stories and more questions. You will learn many truths- but you might be surprised how you get there.
11:30AM | Individual: $15 | Ages 10+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, October 28
Garden Dialogues: Olana & The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Working in collaboration with The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) this tour of Olana focuses on the significance of the landscape and its impact on art. Part of TCLF’s nationwide Garden Dialogues program, the tour will be led by landscape architects, artists and others featured participants who will offer personal insights and observations about Olana and its influence on them, and engage in a broader conversation with attendees.
3PM | Individual: $60 | Ages 12+ | Details on www.olana.org
Saturday, October 28
Autumnal Horse & Carriage Tours
In honor of Olana’s 50th Anniversary, we offer carriage rides on the 19th century carriage roads. A stunning carriage and draft team saunter Frederic Church’s gravel roads bringing travelers to majestic views and stellar landscapes while viewing the sky, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains. Meet the carriage 10 minutes before start time at the Olana Visitor Center entrance. (Tours are subject to change due to extreme weather.)
Every Fri + Sat | September + October | 2PM – Sunset, 30 minutes | Individual: $40, Exclusive Couple: $100 | All Ages
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Saturday, November 3
Artist on Art Tour: Jackie Goss & Jenny Perlin
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Limited availability! Call Olana’s Education Department to make a reservation, 518-828-1872 ext. 105.
Friday, November 24
Miniature Theater: Czech-American Marionettes
Join us during the holiday weekend for a marionette show to thrill the young and young at heart. This program celebrates theater in miniature, an ancient art form with popular 19th century links. The New York City-based troupe, Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, are dedicated to the preservation and presentation of traditional and not-so-traditional puppetry. Their work incorporates marionette traditions of Central Europe with histories layered with adventure and travel.
9AM + 10:30AM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $30 | Ages 2+
Friday, November 24
The Art of Wrapping Paper
Making your own holiday wrapping paper is so fun and easy. Drop-in and have a go at our four decorating stations including paper marbling, potato and apple block printing, stencils, and paint splattering. Learn techniques that you can continue at home!
1-4PM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $30 | All Ages
Saturday, November 25
Traveling Talks: Walking in Search of the Gobble
Join us on a hike to learn all about the bird at the center of this holiday weekend. Environmental educator, Fran Martino, will guide us on the carriage roads.
10AM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $25 | All ages
Saturday, November 25
Explore & Create: Paper Windows
Join Scherenschnitte artist, Pamela Dalton, to craft your own beautfiul masterpiece inspired by Church’s windows. Her work is created in the tradition of early American paper cutting popular in the Pennsylvania Dutch regions of this country in the early nineteenth century. Scherenschnitte is a German term meaning “scissor cutting”. Dalton will lead participants on a guided tour of the windows inside the Main House at Olana, followed by a lesson on how to make your own paper-cut design. Abridged tour of the main house followed by art-making. Refreshments will be served.
1PM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35 | Ages 12+
Wednesday, November 29
The Art of Seasonal Greens: 19th Century Wreath Making
Mary Hughes, Olana’s Master Gardener, will teach the art of creating seasonal evergreen wreaths in these hands-on workshops. Please bring a pair of pruning shears. All other supplies and refreshments will be provided.
Two Sessions: 2PM + 6PM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35 | Ages 8+
Saturday, December 2
Explore & Create: Persian Inspired Tiles
Local ceramic artist Dawn Dishaw will teach you how to make your very own Persian inspired tile. Both Dishaw and Frederic Church are artists moved by the designs in Owen Jones’ publication The Grammar of Ornament. Acquire the basic skills needed to re-create these designs and make a one-of-a-kind gift for the holiday season! Abridged tour of the main house followed by art-making. Refreshments will be served.
2PM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35 | Ages 10+
Wednesday, December 6
The Art of Holiday Greens: Boxwood Tree Making
Mary Hughes, Olana’s Master Gardener, will teach the art of creating seasonal boxwood trees for tabletop decoration in these hands-on workshops. Please bring a pair of pruning shears. All other supplies and refreshments will be provided.
Two Sessions: 2PM + 6PM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35 | Ages 8+
Saturday, December 9
19th Century Holiday Cards
Instead of buying your holiday cards, add a personal touch and make your own set! Start a new family tradition of creating together in preparation for the holiday season. Patti Gibbons will teach us the art of making your own holiday stationery to send your loved one – a 19th inspired century keepsake by mail. Supplies and refreshments will be provided.
10AM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 8+
Saturday, December 9
The Art of Wax: Beeswax Candle Making
Start a new family tradition of creating together in preparation for the holiday season. Megan Denver from Hudson Valley Bee Supply will teach us the art of making rolled and dipped beeswax candles – a learning experience for all!
2PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20, Family (up to 5): $40 | Ages 5+
Past Events
Monday-Friday, July 17-21
Panorama! Week 2: Paper Art
In the ever-growing digitization of culture, paper becomes more and more of a sidelined material in our youths’ lives. In Frederic Church’s lifetime paper was the form of all communication; it was exotic, precious, incredible, and a material that drove so much childhood play and adventure. We will delve deeply into the history of paper, take a field trip, borrow from the 19th century and from many cultures around the world to make decorative pulp papers, paper dolls, paper cutouts, papier-mâché, pop-up books, kites, decoupage, and so much more. This week-long program will turn paper into magic and create marvelous skills.
9AM-3PM | Space is limited to 30 | Ages 6-13
Saturday, July 15
Explore & Create: Botanical Drawing
Learn the art of botanical drawing from Wendy Hollender, renowned botanical illustrator and author of Botanical Drawing in Color. Abridged tour of the Olana’s collection followed by art-making. Materials and refreshments will be provided.
10AM | Member: $30, Non-Member: $35, Beginner Art Supply Kit (optional): $50 | Ages 12+
Monday-Friday, July 10-14
Panorama! Week 1: Real and Imagined Eco-Landscapes
The Olana Partnership works in collaboration with the Taconic Outdoor Education Center to bring you this camp for youth who love exploring nature and who imagine and invent places and spaces. Frederic E. Church’s library contained fictional stories of faraway places, nature and ecology, and he composed his own landscapes from drawings and an idea. This camp will be led by seasoned environmental educators who have a number of fun-filled experiments and expeditions planned inside Olana’s 250-acres.
9AM-3PM | Space is limited to 30 | Ages 6-13
Saturday, July 8
Traveling Talks: Artist Keri Smith and The Wander Society
Keri Smith is a Canadian conceptual artist and author of several bestselling books and apps about creativity including How to be an Explorer of the World – the Portable Life/Art Museum (Penguin), and The Wander Society (Penguin 2016). Great thinkers, writers, philosophers, and artists throughout history have been wanderers. Smith’s work spans a broad range of media including drawing, sculpture, public art, and book making. Join us to discuss, invent, create, imagine and become a traveler artist, or just wander with us!
4PM | Member: $10, Non-Member $15, Family (up to 5) $30 | All Ages
CANCELLED Wednesday, July 5
Traveling Talks: Silent Sparks of Fireflies
Discover the fascinating world of fireflies with environmental educator, Fran Martino. Bring a mason jar with holes punched in the lid, or borrow one of ours. Learn about their communication, behavior, and role in our ecosystem. Catch and release.
7PM | Member: $5, Non-Member: $10 | All Ages
Friday, June 30
Artist on Art Tour: Mariel Fiori
Artists offer a unique lens with which to “read” an artist’s home & landscape. During this series artists use many mediums and “poetic license” to talk about Olana and the exhibition with concepts and connections that inspire them. This is not a traditional house tour! Artist-led tours are accompanied by TOP’s Director of Education and end with a glass of wine on the piazza near sunset.
4:30PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | All Ages
Tuesday, June 27
FREE! Pathways to Prevention: First Aid for Outdoor Enthusiasts
Join Columbia Memorial Health’s Jeff Burns, RN to get tips on basic first-aid techniques and tools for outdoor enthusiasts. Jeff helps lead the CMH Emergency Department and is also a flight nurse and major in the U.S. Air National Guard. Participants will experience a 20-minute talk, followed by a short walk with the expert on Olana’s carriage roads. Snacks will be served.
5:30PM | Free | All Ages | Rain or shine
Saturday, June 24
Garden Dialogues: Glorious Olana with Margie Ruddick & Julia Rosenbaum
The Olana Partnership collaborates with The Cultural Landscape Foundation to present…
Join Margie Ruddick, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award Winner in Landscape Architecture, and Julia B. Rosenbaum, Associate Professor and Chair, Art History, Bard College, for an in-depth and exhilarating exploration of Olana. Olana was conceived as a three-dimensional work of art, and its grand views west over the Hudson River to the Catskill Mountains beyond are emblematic of the era’s idealized mix of agrarian and wilderness landscapes. Church’s paintings are heroic, romantic, and intensely reverential of the land – an ethos and artistic sentiment present in Olana today. This Dialogue at Olana focuses on the significance of the landscape and its impact on art. Ruddick and Rosenbaum will offer personal insights and observations about Olana and its influence on them, and engage in a broader conversation with attendees.Ruddick is recognized for her pioneering, environmental approach to urban landscape design through her innovative integration of ecology, urban planning, and culture. In her recent book, Wild by Design, which includes projects in New York City, Baja, California, and Chengdu, China, she defines and explains the five fundamental strategies she employs, often in combination, to give life, beauty, and meaning to landscapes. Ruddick was born in Montreal, grew up in New York City, and graduated from Bowdoin College and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Rosenbaum, Director of Research and Publications, The Olana Partnership, received her B.A. from Yale University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Visions of Belonging: New England Art and the Making of American Identity (Cornell University Press, 2006), co-editor of The American Bourgeoisie: Distinction and Identity in the Nineteenth Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), and has published articles in numerous scholarly journals and edited volumes, including American Art and The Encyclopedia of New England.
3PM | Individual: $60 | Ages 12+
Saturday, June 17
Traveling Talks: Religion & Environmentalism in the United States
Join Mark Stoll, Ph.D, from Texas Tech University to learn more about his new book Inherit the Holy Mountain: Religion and the Rise of American Environmentalism. Stoll will present remarkable new American and Environmental Studies scholarship about how certain denominations in the United States made nature a moral and political force, with a focus on how this influenced Frederic Church’s work. Stoll’s scholarship gets to the heart of environmentalism’s history and the intersections with religion and art movements. Illustrated lecture followed by Q&A and an abridged tour of the main house. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Saturday, June 10
Portraiture/aka Caricature/ with graphic artist Barbara Slate
Join Barbara Slate, a pioneer among women in comics, to make a portrait or self-portrait in cartoon style. Instructor Slate wrote hundreds of Betty and Veronica stories for Archie Comics. Participants will learn how to create a comic drawing of a face. All materials will be provided. Refreshments will be served.
10AM | Member: $10, Non-Member: $15, Family (up to 5): $25 | All Ages
*CANCELLED* Saturday, June 10
Explore & Create: History of the Handwritten Note – If you were interested in this program we encourage you to register for Patti Gibbons’s other program, 19th Century Holiday Cards, on December 9.
Make your own stationery and greeting cards using antique papers which reflect travel and life in the 19th century. Patti Gibbons will present a hands-on exploration into the history of travel advertising, correspondence, printing methods, and the art of handmade cards during the Victorian era. Abridged tour of the main house followed by art-making. Refreshments will be served.
Patti Gibbons has spent most of her life residing in and being inspired by the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson Valley, a place that has captured both her heart and creative muse. She holds an AA degree in Visual arts, and a BS and MS in Art Education. Patti taught art to special needs students Grades K-12 for 21 years. After leaving her career in public education, she has immersed herself in making art, and teaches painting and mixed media classes in her studio in Kingston, NY
In addition to the greeting cards she has been designing for over 20 years, she is a fine artist. Her work is varied: the landscape inspires her poetic muse, mixed media is a voice for telling stories, and her abstract drawings emerge from the subconscious, synthesizing the past, present, the seen and unseen. Of the process: “The studio is a dream world. Once the door is closed the outside world shut out, it is an escape to a place of wonder, exploration, and healing.”
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Thursday, June 1
NEW! RENT&GO Backpacks – Available during open museum hours. Family Backpacks: Nature Wonder Packs are available for up to three hours for a $15 rental fee. Participants rent the packs and set off on an adventure that includes cloud and bird identification tools, sketching and nature writing supplies, finger puppets for nature plays; the pack also includes stencils, examples of Church’s sketches, and interesting reading materials. The pack is perfectly paired with a family picnic plan, and participants can keep the nature journal they find inside to keep working on their nature observations. The Plein Air Painting Kit is also available for the first time this season for up to three tours and a rental fee of $25. Inspired by Church’s art? Try your hand at plein air painting while onsite. Kits include a travel easel, stool, paints and brushes, water, 2 small canvases, sketch pad and pencils, and suggestions on how Frederic Church started a painting. Participants rent the kits and set off on an adventure to find their Hudson River School painting voice.
Saturday, May 27
Traveling Talks: The Science Behind the Traveler Artist
Lloyd Ackert, Ph.D, Professor in History of Science at Drexel University, will present the ways in which artists were inspired and informed by travel and the developing “natural sciences” in the 19th century. Dr. Ackert will lead us to ponder how ideas in the sciences informed art-making and vice versa and specifically how French anthropologist Jean Chaffanjon employed Auguste Morisot, how Alexander von Humboldt inspired Frederic Church, and how Charles Darwin influenced Marianne North. Illustrated lecture followed by Q&A and an abridged tour of the main house. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+
Saturday, May 6
I Love My Park Day
Come volunteer at Olana for a few hours! I Love My Park Day is an exciting statewide event, organized by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and local Friends groups, to celebrate and enhance New York’s parks and historic sites and bring visibility to the entire park system and its needs. Pre-registration encouraged.
Project Descriptions
Project 1: Plant flowers in window boxes. All ages welcome. This project meets and takes place at Cosy Cottage.
Project 2: Cleanup in the farm/cottage area. Clean out the ditches, culverts, and grates. Rake leaves and gravel. This project meets at the Wagon House Education Center and takes place between there and Cosy Cottage.
Project 3: Pruning back twigs and limbs along the carriage drives near the house. This project meets at the Visitor Center at the top of the hill.
For all the projects, all tools will be supplied. Please wear clothes that you can get dirty and bring gardening gloves if you have them.
Materials supplied. Please bring your own gloves.
9AM-12PM | Free | All Ages
Saturday, April 22
Traveling Talks: Church & Cut Outs, Sketches, and Studies
Perhaps the process of assembling a 21st century installation art piece and a 19th century panoramic landscape painting share more than we realize. Join Caroline O’Connell from the Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design Department at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum for a close reading of Frederic Church’s trips to Maine in the 1850s as illustrative of the common ground. O’Connell will show work from storage at the Cooper Hewitt as well as share interesting facts about the Hewitt sisters’ acquisition of over 2,000 works by Church in 1917. Illustrated lecture followed by Q&A and an abridged tour of the main house. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 12+ | Wagon House Education Center
Saturday, May 13
OVERLOOK: Members Exhibition Preview & Reception
Olana members are invited to have the first look at our exciting exhibition; OVERLOOK: Teresita Fernández Confronts Frederic Church at Olana. This collaboration with contemporary artist Fernández and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros challenges the traditional narratives of 19th century American landscape painting. Explore the exhibition at your own pace and enjoy refreshments on the East Lawn.
4-5:30PM | Member: Free | Location: East Lawn + Main House
In Conversation: CPPC Director & Chief Curator Gabriel Perez-Barreiro and artist Teresita Fernández discuss OVERLOOK and take questions from the audience.
5:30-6PM | Member: Free | Location: East Lawn
Sunday, May 14
OVERLOOK: Public Opening
Sponsored by Columbia Memorial Health
All are invited to have the first look at our exciting exhibition; OVERLOOK: Teresita Fernández Confronts Frederic Church at Olana. This collaboration with contemporary artist Fernández and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros challenges the traditional narratives of 19th century American landscape painting.
All Day | Free Admission (limited availability) | Location: Main House
Saturday, June 3
OVERLOOK: Harper Montgomery on Reading Teresita Fernández’s Art
Join Harper Montgomery, Ph.D, Distinguished Lecturer and Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Professor in Latin American Art at Hunter College, for a lecture and discussion about Teresita Fernández. Montgomery will focus on avant-gardism, social activism, institutions, and cross-cultural conditions for making and displaying art. She is a specialist in modern and contemporary Latin American art with focuses on Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, and the Latino U.S. during the early twentieth-century and the contemporary movement. Illustrated lecture followed by Q&A and an abridged tour of the exhibition OVERLOOK. Refreshments will be served.
4PM | Member: $15, Non-Member: $20 | Ages 15+
STUDIO CIRCLE TOWER TOUR | 6PM Studio Circle members and above are invited to attend the lecture for free and to enjoy an exclusive tour of the Studio Tower, an area of the house not open to the public. To participate in this rare opportunity – join today!