First Friday Series
Friday, June 4, 10-12pm
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, 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, 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'll 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, 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.
June Programs
Saturday, June 5, 9am
National Trails Day Hike at Olana
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All ages
Free
*Vehicle use fee applies
In celebration of National Trails Day, Olana will host a History Hike to explore the carriage trails that meander
through the 250-acre estate. We'll explore North Road, Farm Road, Lake Road and Ridge Road. This hike involves significant physical activity and is not
recommended for young children. Bring water and snacks. We plan to spend up to two hours in the landscape. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.
Sunday, June 6, 10am-4pm
Exhibition Opening:
Fern Hunting among These Picturesque Mountains: Frederic Edwin Church in Jamaica
Evelyn & Maurice Sharp Gallery
In 1865, Frederic Church, an avid traveler with a special passion for the tropics,
journeyed to Jamaica. This was unlike his previous expeditions, as he and his wife, Isabel,
were escaping from intense personal grief: the loss of their two young children. Throwing himself into
the exploration and documentation of the island, the renowned artist produced a variety of works ranging from
delicate pen sketches of palm trees to oil sketches of the atmospheric Blue Mountains and brilliant sunsets. The
importance of the trip is reflected in the number of studies Church chose to mount, frame, and display at Olana, which became
a major attraction for visitors to his home. The best of the related sketches and paintings from Jamaica comprise the exhibit.The Evelyn and
Maurice Sharp Gallery is located on the second floor of the historic house.
The exhibition is open Thursday-Sunday, June-October call (518) 828-0135 for information
Sunday, June 6, 10am-4pm
Exhibition Opening:
In the footsteps of Frederic Church: Photos by Larry Lederman
Olana Coachman's House
All ages
Free
Larry Lederman is a photographer and writer who has traveled to many of the locations Frederic Church
visited. This exhibition displays photographs of a number of sites that Frederic Church painted and
seeks to evoke his artistic vision and explore his art. The photographs affirm that many of the wilderness
enclaves Church painted still exist, preserved as part of our heritage because of the beauty that he
and other nineteenth century painters captured. Copies of the photos will be available for sale in the Olana
museum shop.
Sunday, June 6, 2pm
Olana, Salon for Jamaican Journeyers: Public Lecture
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All ages
Free*Vehicle use fee applies
Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Chief Curator and Krieble Curator of American Painting and Sculpture at
the Wadsworth Atheneum and Katherine E. Manthorne, Professor of Art History at the CUNY Graduate Center,
will present a lecture developed from research for their essays featured in the Fern Hunting among These
Picturesque Mountains exhibition catalogue. The talk will include new scholarship on 19th-century American
painters working in the tropics, Church's role in inspiring these artists and the influences and experiences
that helped to shape him as an artist. Lecture supported by New York State Council for the Humanities.
Saturday, June 12, 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.
Monday, June 14, 4-5pm
Garden Walk
Flower Garden
Adults
Free
Join Mary K. Hughes on an informational walk
through Church's flower garden. Learn a little history as well as new plant care and maintenance of perennial gardens. Bring questions on Heirloom annuals
and perennials; stay for the Olana sunsets. Mary holds a degree in Horticulture as well as Floriculture and has a floral design certificate from
SUNY Cobleskill Agriculture College. She has owned and operated her own business for 8 years, runs a greenhouse specializing inHeirloom plants,
and was on the board of the Hudson Valley Flower show where she was a ribbon holder for design. Rain or shine.
Friday, June 18, 5:30-7:30pm
Annual Members' Reception
East Lawn
Members
Free for members, $15 for non-members
A presentation
on Olana frames with Olana curators and Suzanne Smeaton from Eli Wilner & Company will accompany the reception.
Members are invited to bring one additional guest. Non-members and any additional guests are welcome to attend for
$15 per person. Call (518) 828-1872 x 102 for more information.
Monday, June 21, 9am
First Day of Summer Hike
Visitors Center
All Ages
Free
Explore carriage drives
and sweeping views as you learn a little more about the Olana landscape.
Families welcome! Pre-registration required by 4PM the Wednesday preceding.
Dress for the weather. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.
Saturday, June 26, 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.
Saturday, June 26, 4-6pm
Music at the Farm
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
All Ages
Free
Join us for a contemporary concert at Olana's Farm Complex, interpreting the spirit of Olana
with drums from around the world. Musician David Macejka,
(http://www.davidmacejka.com) will perform music influenced by Church's
admiration for Persian architecture and culture. An open drum circle (please
bring your own drums if you'd like to participate) will follow. Bring a picnic
blanket/dinner and enjoy the glorious sunsets. Rain or shine. Sponsored by Columbia County
Tourism.
Sunday, June 27, 12-4pm
Self-guided Nature Walks at Olana - Program Launch Event
Meet at the Visitor Center
All Ages
Did you know Olana State Historic Site is one of only five know locations in the state where you can see Shrubby
St. John's Wort, a threatened species in New York? Or that Olana's lake is home to invasive Chinese Mystery Snails?
Join us for the official launch of three family-friendly Nature Walks developed by SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
students Danielle and Jessica Zeller. (They're also Cairo-Durham and Columbia-Greene alumni.) Explore Olana's lake, meadow
and forest environments with the aid of maps and guides prepared by Danielle and Jessica, then help them out by completing
a short evaluation of your experience.
*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.