Programs + Events

NEW DATE - Friday, January 31, 6:00-10:00pm | Cloud/Rain Date: Saturday, February 1

This program was previously cancelled do to poor weather and viewing conditions. The NEW DATE is now Friday, January 31st and the cloud/rain date is Saturday, February 1, please email us at education@olana.org to learn more.

Spend your evening looking up at the cosmos in the spirit of Frederic Church’s celestial-inspired paintings! During this free, drop-in program, learn more about the night sky and when viewable planets and deep-sky objects are visible from Olana State Historic Site. Members of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association will project real-time astro-images of galaxies and nebulae inside while Saturn, Jupiter, and other objects will be visible with the aid of additional powerful telescopes outdoors.

Special star-tours will be held at 7 PM and 9 PM, where an expert guide will point out the evening’s visible constellations. This program is offered in conjunction with the exhibition A Closer Look.

Light refreshments will be served. FREE; drop-in anytime between 6:00-10:00pm. Pre-registration is encouraged to ensure up to date info on viewing conditions Rain and/or cloud date will be on Saturday, February 1. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025, 10:00-11:00am

Celebrate the New Year by exploring expansive views at Olana State Historic Site on this pup friendly hike! Channel 19th century artist Frederic Church’s taste for exploration during this special hike of the winter landscape and explore Olana’s 250-acres. Hot beverages (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate) and sketching materials will be provided in the Wagon House Education Center as part of our First Day Hike celebration. Please note, all dogs must be kept on a leash during their time at Olana and the site is a carry in carry out facility.

Begins at the Wagon House Education Center at the historic farm complex at the bottom of the site and covers about 1 mile with an uphill portion; please wear weather-appropriate apparel and comfortable footwear. Check out other #DogsofOlana on our Instagram at @OlanaFredericChurch.

FREE, advanced registration required. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Celebrate the New Year by exploring expansive views at Olana State Historic Site! Channel 19th century artist Frederic Church’s taste for exploration during this special hike of the winter landscape and explore Olana’s 250-acres. Hot beverages (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate) and sketching materials will be provided in the Wagon House Education Center as part of our First Day Hike celebration.

Begins at the Wagon House Education Center at the historic farm complex at the bottom of the site and covers about 1 mile with an uphill portion; please wear weather-appropriate apparel and comfortable footwear.

FREE. Limited capacity, advance registration required. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Saturday, January 18, 2025, 1:00-2:00pm

Experience learning, looking closely, and conversation as a family during this series of special museum gallery tours at Olana State Historic Site. Each month, The Olana Partnership educators will lead an exploration of two to three works of art on the second floor galleries through family-friendly dialogue and other hands-on activities. After your tour, extend your day at OLANA and head down to the Wagon House Education Center for a free drop-in program, Art Making in the Afternoon from 1-4pm.

Designed for families with children ages 3 and up. $15 adults; children under 12 are free. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

January 25, 2025, 2:00-3:00pm

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. During this program, Dr. Rosanna Flouty will lead a discussion centered on two of Church’s Catskill paintings illuminating dynamics of territorial power. Using deep looking and a short, hands-on activity, participants will examine how Church’s works serve as lenses for interrogating colonial histories and the reclamation of landscape. This conversation will catalyze discussions on the power of land as a contested site of identity, ownership, and cultural memory.

Dr. Rosanna Flouty is the Director of the Program in Museum Studies at New York University. She has worked in and with museums for three decades, including at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Her work and teaching lie at the intersection of museums, technology, and education.

This program is $15 per person or $10 for members and residents of Columbia and Greene Counties. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership.Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, February 22, 2025, 1:00-2:00pm

Experience learning, looking closely, and conversation as a family during this series of special museum gallery tours at Olana State Historic Site. Each month, The Olana Partnership educators will lead an exploration of two to three works of art on the second floor galleries through family-friendly dialogue and other hands-on activities. After your tour, extend your day at OLANA and head down to the Wagon House Education Center for a free drop-in program, Art Making in the Afternoon from 1-4pm.

Designed for families with children ages 3 and up. $15 adults; children under 12 are free. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2:00-3:00pm

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. During each gallery conversation, experts working in fields of science, art education, ecology, and indigenous history will share what they discover within a picture’s frame. This talk will feature Justin Wexler, of Wild Hudson Valley, for a discussion focusing on two artworks, and what we can learn by recognizing featured elements of cultural exchange between 19th century Euro-American outdoorsmen and Northeastern Native Peoples within their frames.

Justin Wexler is a life-long resident of the Hudson Valley and has devoted his life to sharing his love for the natural world and for the region's original inhabitants. He has studied regional Algonquian languages, history and folklore for over two decades, sharing discoveries with scholars and with tribal language departments. He has a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT; a Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy from Bard College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College.

This program is $15 per person or $10 for members and residents of Columbia and Greene Counties. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership.Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, March 22, 2025, 1:00-2:00pm

Experience learning, looking closely, and conversation as a family during this series of special museum gallery tours at Olana State Historic Site. Each month, The Olana Partnership educators will lead an exploration of two to three works of art on the second floor galleries through family-friendly dialogue and other hands-on activities. After your tour, extend your day at OLANA and head down to the Wagon House Education Center for a free drop-in program, Art Making in the Afternoon from 1-4pm.

Designed for families with children ages 3 and up. $15 adults; children under 12 are free. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, March 29, 2:00-3:00pm

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. During each gallery conversation, experts working in fields of science, art education, ecology, and indigenous history will share what they discover within a picture’s frame. Investigate Church’s intimate forest paintings with Marc Wolf, Director of Horticulture and Environmental Stewardship at Mountain Top Arboretum in the Catskills. During this conversation, Marc will explore Church’s ecological eye in three different forest scenes, illuminating the artist’s observations of humanity’s environmental impact.

Marc Wolf is Director of Horticulture and Environmental Stewardship at Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville, NY. Marc received his BA from Williams College, is a graduate of New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture and interned at Chanticleer Garden. Marc studied with the noted landscape architect Darrel Morrison and worked as his field assistant on projects at New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and for private clients. As a writer and performer working in theater, film and television, Marc received OBIE and National Endowment for the Arts Awards, among others.

This program is $15 per person or $10 for members and residents of Columbia and Greene Counties. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership.Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, May 17, 8:00-10:00am

Get your binoculars ready for this special spring migration bird walk at Olana State Historic Site! Join the Alan Devoe Bird Club and The Olana Partnership on an exploration of Olana’s artist-designed landscape and learn more about visiting birds and the species that call this region home during the peak of spring migration. Open to birders of all levels. This program will take place in the landscape along Olana's historic carriage roads.

FREE. Advanced registration required. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 567-2170.

Image credit: Suzy Allman