Thursdays-Sundays
12-4PM

Olana on the Move Backpacks
Museum Shop (also at the Wagon House Education Center on Weekends)
Free *Vehicle use fee applies

Explore the Olana landscape with self-guided activities to enrich family visits. Take your sketches home, or donate them to our ongoing public exhibit. Must leave a photo ID until backpack is returned.

Saturdays, 12-4PM
Art in the Barn
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Ages 3-5 (caregivers)
Free *Vehicle use fee applies

Go on a family tour of the house to be inspired, then come down to the farm to be an artist. Music, story-telling, dance, movement and open art studio time for our youngest artists. New projects every Saturday. To celebrate Columbia County Historical Society's "Inked Over" theme, stamping and printing activities will also be included in our projects. Monthly Themes: Architecture; Farm History; Art and Nature; The Hudson River.

Sundays, 1-4pm
ARTlandish!
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All ages
Free *Vehicle use fee applies

Create art in the landscape-not such an outlandish idea! Frederic Church sketched outside noting details in nature and went back to the studio to paint. Drop-in for sketch paper, pencils and clipboards. Head out into Olana's picturesque landscape to sketch your very own view. Come back to the "studio" to use colored pencils, oil pastels and watercolors to finish your artwork.


First Friday Series

Friday, April 2, May 7, June 4, 10am-12pm
Easy Tai chi
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Adults
Free

Tap into the spirituality of nature (like a Hudson River School artist but without the paint)! Tai chi is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. The body moves slowly and gently, while breathing deeply and meditating. Many practitioners believe that Tai chi helps the flow throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi, increasing our wellness. Join John Middlebrooks as he guides you in this intro class. Classes will meet at the education center; if weather permits we will practice out in the landscape. Please attend all three classes as they go in sequence and allow time for practice. Space is limited; Register by the preceding Monday by calling:(518) 828-1872 x 109.

Friday, April 2, May 7, June 4, 1-3pm
Visual Arts Workshop
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Adults (50+)
Free

Retired? Ready to finally explore your love of art? It is never too late! Adults with little or no formal art training will realize that creating art can be accomplished through a variety of materials and techniques. Create a work of art with local artist Gretchen Kelly in one or all three of these classes: "The Personality of Lines" in April; "Capturing the Landscape" in May; and "My Olana" in June. Space is limited; Register by the preceding Monday by calling:(518) 828-1872 x 109.

Friday, April 2, May 7, June 4, 4-5pm
My Story in History: Contemporary Art in a Historical World
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Ages 10-14
Free

Use the landscape and architecture of Olana as well as the life and paintings of Frederic Church as inspiration to create your own mixed-media artwork. In this after school, drop-off course, lead by local artist Claudia Brehse, you will experiment with materials and discover new ways to express your own interests. Great for home-schoolers and teen art club members. Space is limited; Register by the preceding Monday by calling:(518) 828-1872 x 109.

Friday, April 2, May 7, June 4, 5:30-6:30pm
Landscape Yoga
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Adults
Free

This gentle yoga class will bring the inspiring picturesque landscape views inside, celebrating the spirituality of nature. Yoga instructor Ed Sisk from the Yoga With Ed studio in Hudson, NY will provide mats and modification tools, or you are welcome to bring your own. Space is limited;
Register by the preceding Monday by calling: (518) 828-1872 x 109.


April Programs

Thursday, April 1-Sunday, April 4 11am, 1pm, 3pm daily
April Fools Olana!
Vistor Center
Families
Admission is $9/adult; $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12 or members of The Olana Partnership *Vehicle use fee applies

Olana has been pranked! Objects that just don't fit in are scattered throughout the house, some better hidden than others. Bring the family and see who has the sharpest eye. Standard tours available on the hour and half hour except for the times listed above. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.

Saturday, April 10, 11:30am
Family Tour at Olana
Vistor Center
Families
Admission is $9/adult; $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12 or members of The Olana Partnership *Vehicle use fee applies

Explore the house, its paintings and treasures from a child's perspective. Take the family tour and then stop by the Wagon House Education Center for Art in the Barn, or borrow a backpack full of activities to do on the grounds - a family day at Olana couldn't be more perfect! Tours are geared for families with 6-12 year-olds, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required by 4pm the preceding Friday. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.

Sunday, April 11, 1-3pm
An Historian's Look at Victorian Flower Arranging: Lecture and Demonstration
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
Adults
Free *Vehicle use fee applies

Floral Decorations played an important role in 19th century interiors and entertaining. This illustrated lecture will show how flowers were used in arrangements, and how their appearance has changed through years of hybridizing and selection. Ellen McClelland Lesser (who has done past floral arrangements in the main house at Olana including the dining table arrangement for holiday receptions) will also demonstrate how to create authentic arrangements using correct plant materials and containers. Ellen holds a Certificate in Commercial Floral Design from the New York Botanical Garden and a First Level Certificate from the Sogetsu School of Ikebana (Japanese floral design). Seating is limited;Register by the preceding Friday by calling:(518) 828-1872 x 109.

Saturday, April 17, Registration 9am and 12pm
Empire State Volksporter's March for Parks 2010
*Vehicle use fee applies
A national series of events begun by the National Parks Service to celebrate and conserve local, regional, state and federal Parks. Empire State Capital Volkssporters (ESCV) has participated in this event for many years by holding a walk at a nearby park or historic site to celebrate our park heritage during National Parks Week each April.

Saturday, April 24, 10am
Volunteer Work Party in the Landscape
Vistor Center
All Ages
*Vehicle use fee applies

Prepare the house environs for the return of Olana's adoring fans, Landscape Curator Kate Kerin is asking any of you who are willing and able to help us clean up areas around the house and assist with light pruning. There will be tasks for gardeners and garden enthusiasts of all abilities. If you have them, bring any and all of the following: garden gloves, rakes, pruners, pick-up trucks (for helping us bring the bags of garden debris down to the dumpster), a cheerful attitude, and maybe your lunch. Water and goodies will be provided, as will insurance for all volunteers. RSVP to Kate Kerin at kkerin@olana.org or (518) 828-1872 x 108, or just arrive with friends and family ready to have fun and make a difference at Olana.

Saturday, April 24, 11:30 am
Family Tour at Olana
Vistor Center
Families
Admission is $9/adult; $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12 or members of The Olana Partnership *Vehicle use fee applies

Explore the house, its paintings and treasures from a child's perspective. Take the family tour and then stop by the Wagon House Education Center for Art in the Barn, or borrow a backpack full of activities to do on the grounds - a family day at Olana couldn't be more perfect! Tours are geared for families with 6-12 year-olds, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required by 4pm the preceding Friday. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.

Sunday, April 25, 8:00am
Spring Birds at Olana
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All ages
Free

Join amateur naturalist Lin Fagan and Olana's Director of Education for a morning walk in search of early spring migratory birds. We'll explore the historic farm, the Church's primary residence for more than a decade before their move to the top of the hill. Call (518) 828-0135 for information or reservations.

Friday, April 30, 2-4pm
The Silent Language of the Landscape: Herb Walk and Talk
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All ages
Free

Local Catskill Herbalist Margo Mullein leads this talk about spring from an earth based perspective, bringing in the Native American aspect and significance of the Moons. Creative exercises tap into how the flowers of spring/light of the moon inspire us; learn about herbal plants and their healing properties as well as farming principles that take cosmic influences into account. Space is limited;
Register by the preceding Thursday by calling:(518) 828-1872 x 109.

*Vehicle use fee: On weekends and holiday Mondays, April through October 31, there is a $5 entry fee per vehicle from 10AM-5PM; (Vehicle entry fee is waived for current members of The Olana Partnership) This fee can be credited toward a house tour as long as house tour tickets are available.