SUMMER ART + NATURE PROGRAM
Dive into Frederic Church’s Olana this summer during PANORAMA Summer Art + Nature Program. Back for its 15th annual season, The Olana Partnership will offer four weeks of hands-on exploration for children ages 6-11 from July to August at Olana State Historic Site. Experience art, science, and nature through sketching, lake exploration, hiking, painting, play, and more, all while meeting new friends and learning from the experts. The whole summer focuses on art and nature with special guest visits and activities each week. You don’t want to miss this unforgettable summer adventure!
The program runs Monday-Friday, 9 am to 3 pm. Secure your space! Registration will close on June 1, 2024. If you are interested in a week that has sold out, please email education@olana.org to be added to the waitlist.
Week 1: July 15 – July 19, 2024
Week 2: July 22 – July 26, 2024
Week 3: July 29 – August 2, 2024
Week 4: August 5 – August 9, 2024
“It is one of the best camps in the area- varied activities and educational” – Panorama Parent
Week 1
Monday, July 15-Friday, July 19: 9:00am-3:00pm
Get inspired by artist Frederic Church’s own relationship with science and discover secrets of the natural world through hikes, experiments, and sketching activities. Educators from the Taconic Outdoor Education Center and The Olana Partnership will guide students through Olana’s 250-acre artist-designed landscape where they will explore many habitats, animals, and ecosystems. Learn more about the creatures of Olana by observing insects in the meadow, watching frogs and snails in the lake, and keeping an eye out for the birds and mammals that call the site home. This week will include a special visit from Columbia Land Conservancy to talk more about aquatic creatures that live in Olana’s man-made lake.
Week 2
Monday, July 22-Friday, July 26: 9:00am-3:00pm
Create your own designs during sculpture activities, architectural explorations, and games to get you thinking like an artist! Unleash your own inner sculptor by experimenting with professional art materials like clay, wire, and paper mâché. During this art-focused week of PANORAMA, learn more about Frederic Church’s artwork and the places that inspired his designs for Olana’s landscape and main house. This week will include a special visit from The Sylvia Center to lead a creative cooking class.
Week 3
Monday, July 29-Friday, August 2: 9:00am-3:00pm
Dig deep and get inspired by artist Frederic Church’s own relationship with nature and farming through hikes, experiments, and art activities. Spend time in Olana’s 250-acre artist-designed landscape discovering what is growing at Olana now, what Church grew onsite at his farm, and what was here long before Church and his family called Hudson home! Students will learn all about Olana’s history as a farm by planting herbs and vegetables of their own, observing edible plants growing in nature, and making creations inspired by their family’s own favorite recipes. This week will include a special visit from Olana’s own beekeepers from Fox Farm Apiary to talk more about the pollinators that populate the site.
Week 4
Monday, August 5-Friday, August 9: 9:00am-3:00pm
Spend time sketching Olana’s landscape, painting outside, and creating art connected to the world around us. During this art-focused week, learn more about Frederic Church’s artwork and the travels that inspired his paintings around the world. Students will discover their own artistic talents by experimenting with professional materials like tempera paint, charcoal, watercolor paint, and collage. This week will include a special visit from the curators behind our current exhibition, Frederic Church and the Landscape of Memory.
Safety guidelines:
Olana State Historic Site is a New York State Park and continues to adhere to CDC/NYS COVID-19 guidelines.
Location:
This program occurs in Olana’s indoor classroom space, outside the Wagon House Education Center, and throughout the site.
Cost:
The cost of attendance is $350 a week for members of The Olana Partnership or $450 a week for non-members. Registration will close on June 1, 2024. If you are interested in a week that has sold out, please email education@olana.org to be added to the waitlist.
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.