Olana’s Week-Long Summer Youth Program
This year, The Olana Partnership will hold its 14th annual PANORAMA Summer Program for students from July through early August 2023 at Olana State Historic Site. This year, teaching artists, outdoor educators, and museum educators will deliver thematic programs exploring photography, nature, art, cooking, and agriculture. Instructors provide hands-on educational activities for children ages 6-11 that encourage creative play and discovery at Olana. Each week is capped at 18 students and led by 2 teaching artists. Each program runs Monday-Friday, 9:00am to 3:00pm.
Registration closes June 1, 2023.
Week 1: See Like A Photographer
Monday, July 10-Friday, July 14
Students will discover different ways to create photographs using point-and-shoot cameras, sun print paper, multi-media techniques, and more! Led by practicing photographers and museum educators, students will document their learning and create a final collection of their own images made during the week. Together, we will also explore Olana’s new exhibition, Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed by going inside the Olana house and hiking to the artist David Hart’s site-specific interventions in the landscape!
Week 2: Explore Like A Scientist
Monday, July 17-Friday, July 21
Students will investigate the different habitats and ecosystems that exist at Olana through games, scientific observation, and special guest visits. Together, students will uncover the secrets of the natural world and explore how to relate to their surroundings. A special guest visit by Columbia Land Conservancy will give campers the chance to wade into Olana’s man-made lake and discover what exists beneath the surface! Guest chefs from The Sylvia Center will also show us how to create delicious snacks with local-fresh produce!
Week 3: Invent Like An Artist
Monday, July 24-Friday, July 28
Students will take a trip around the globe and explore the cultures and places that inspired Frederic Church. Together, students will invent creative ways to make art in 2D and 3D, using place, nature, and history as inspiration. Students will also explore Olana’s new exhibition Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed by visiting inside the Olana house and hiking to site-specific artistic interventions in the surrounding landscape.
Week 4: Think Like A Farmer
Monday, July 31-Friday, August 4
Students will dig into the history of Olana and the Hudson Valley as an agricultural center and learn more about how communities have farmed this land throughout time. Together, students will learn about where our food comes from and how different growing practices play important roles in our own lives. We will even get up close and personal with Olana’s beehives during a special visit with beekeepers from Fox Farm Apiary. Special guest chefs from The Sylvia Center will also help us create delicious snacks with local-fresh produce!
Safety guidelines:
Olana is a New York State Park and will adhere to CDC/NYS COVID-19 guidelines.
Location:
This program occurs indoors and outdoors in Olana’s indoor classroom space and under a tent by the Wagon House Education Center and throughout the site. Each week will run Monday-Friday, 9 am to 3 pm.
Cost:
The cost of attendance is $375 a week for members of The Olana Partnership or $425 a week for non-members. To become a member, visit olana.org/membership.
Full scholarships and financial support for transportation are available for students who attend Title 1 schools and/or receive SNAP and EBT benefits. To apply for funding or to learn more email education@olana.org.
Wagon House Education Center programming is made possible in part through support provided by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency; the Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation; the Golub Family Foundation; The William H. Pitt Foundation, Inc.; Stewart’s Shops; the Bank of Greene County; and the members of The Olana Partnership. 