Programs + Events

Saturday, May 20, 2023, 12:00PM-2:00PM

Explore your creativity in the kitchen and the studio during this FREE onsite family program series at Olana! Led by The Sylvia Center and The Olana Partnership, each workshop will use Olana’s landscape and history as inspiration for an art activity and special recipe. Programs include an outdoor tour of Olana’s landscape, art exploration, cooking instruction, and a healthy lunch made with local farm fresh ingredients. Join us to learn more about Frederic Church, the artist who designed Olana, and work with The Sylvia Center Chefs to cook recipes inspired by the Church family’s own farm and kitchen garden.

During this session, explore vibrant flavors and colors by making a pesto grain salad, strawberry lemonade, and tinting fabric with natural food dyes.

For families with children 18 and under (children must be accompanied by an adult). Register for one or all three classes. FREE (suggested donation $12). Registration includes all artmaking supplies, a free lunch for each participant, and a voucher to participate in future cooking classes hosted by The Sylvia Center. Please email education@olana.org to let us know if anyone in your family has any food allergies. Advance registration required at OLANA.org. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Saturday, June 10, 1:00 and 3:00pm at the Wagon House Education Center

Join choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips from Site-Specific Dances for community-based dance and movement classes for all ages and abilities. Each one hour class is offered free of charge as part of Site-Specific Dances’ June engagement at Olana, culminating with performances on Saturday June 17. Attend this special FREE workshop for all ages to learn choreography for Site-Specific Dance’s final performance the following weekend.

During a special day of dance on June 17th, UNFOLDING OLANA, participants and visitors are invited to activate the site alongside professional dancers. This workshop and performance is part of Site-Specific Dance’s June residency and project at Olana which is made possible through generous support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. To learn more about Site-Specific Dances, visit this link.

FREE; Registration optional. RSVP here to learn more about Site-Specific Dances and receive updates.

Saturday, June 24, 2023, 12:00PM-2:00PM

Explore your creativity in the kitchen and the studio during this FREE onsite family program series at Olana! Led by The Sylvia Center and The Olana Partnership, each workshop will use Olana’s landscape and history as inspiration for an art activity and special recipe. Programs include an outdoor tour of Olana’s landscape, art exploration, cooking instruction, and a healthy lunch made with local farm fresh ingredients. Join us to learn more about Frederic Church, the artist who designed Olana, and work with The Sylvia Center Chefs to cook recipes inspired by the Church family’s own farm and kitchen garden.

During this session, countdown to summer and make a black bean and corn salsa, melon salad, and design colorful pattern designs inspired by nature.

For families with children 18 and under (children must be accompanied by an adult). Register for one or all three classes. FREE (suggested donation $12). Registration includes all artmaking supplies, a free lunch for each participant, and a voucher to participate in future cooking classes hosted by The Sylvia Center. Please email education@olana.org to let us know if anyone in your family has any food allergies. Advance registration required at OLANA.org. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Saturday, June 17 all day with special culminating performance at 8pm

Join us at Olana State Historic Site on Saturday, June 17th for a day of dance throughout Olana’s artist-designed landscape culminating in a final sunset performance. During this day of choreography organized by Site-Specific Dances, visitors and community members are invited to engage in a series of six FREE pop-ups and a final performance at sunset.

Choreographed dances designed especially for Olana’s unique artist-designed landscape will take place through a series of special interventions throughout the site. A final participatory performance at 8pm will celebrate the sunset through movement. Pack a picnic and spend the day at Olana and enjoy a summer evening at the culminating performance on the site’s East Lawn.

In line with the vision that everyone can dance, workshops on June 10 will bring together community members to learn Site-Specific’s choreography in preparation for the final performance on June 17. Interested community members will be invited to activate the site with movement alongside the professional dancers during this special day. This final performance is the culmination of Site-Specific Dance’s two-week residency at Olana to design choreography to highlight Frederic Church’s three-dimensional landscape design, the site’s contemporary ecology, and the legacy of Olana and its protected viewshed.

Site-Specific Dances was founded by choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips and architect Dino Kiratzidiz to investigate the synthesis of performance and place. Site-Specific Dances connects dance and music to unique places inspired by the theatricality of the natural world, pressing environmental issues, and the desire to push the limits of interdisciplinary performance. The creative team also includes composer-Darian Donovan Thomas, architectural designer-Dino Kiratzidis, and videographers-Emma Kazaryan and Nate Reininga. UNFOLDING OLANA is made possible through generous support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

FREE Drop-in Program; Registration optional. RSVP here to learn more about Site-Specific Dances and receive updates.

Friday, June 23, 4:00-5:30 pm

This program is offered in connection with our summer exhibition, "Terraforming: Olana's Historic Photography Collection Unearthed.”

This guided walk and lecture led by Professor Laurie Dahlberg will invite participants to consider photography’s impact on 19th century culture and examine the camera’s reputation as a transparent, truth telling device. In Frederic Church’s lifetime, photography was a new medium, astounding audiences and impressing thinkers and artists with new ways of capturing a supposed “truth”. Recording the world through a photograph has never been a simple, objective process, especially throughout photography’s technological beginnings in the 19th century. During this program, Professor Dahlberg will provide important historical context for understanding this medium and consider the possibilities and limitations of early landscape photography.

Laurie Dahlberg has taught the History of Photography and 19th-century Art at Bard College since 1996. Her first book, Victor Regnault and the Advance of Photography, came out in 2005. She is currently working on a series of essays about the French portrait photographer Nadar and the poet Charles Baudelaire.

This program is $15 per person or $10 for members. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership. Participants are invited to bring their own cameras to engage in this workshop. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

During each two hour session, create a watercolor painting based on your own collection of personal and family photographs. Teaching artist, Wennie Huang, will begin each weekly session with a demonstration of watercolor techniques you can try from home to translate snapshots of travel, family, and friends into your own unique compositions. Just as the artist Frederic Church collected thousands of photographs throughout his life, participants will be encouraged to cull through their own collection of images and personal snapshots to find new artistic inspiration. This weekly series will take inspiration from students’ personal archive of photographs of places visited, people cherries, and memories worth revisiting. This program is designed for adults ages 55+ as part of Olana’s Young at Heart series.

This program is held in conjunction with "Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed." In addition to showcasing the work of contemporary artist David Hartt, Terraforming displays more than 130 historic photographs from Olana’s collection, illuminating the medium’s role in Church’s life and artistic creations.

Wennie Huang , PSA, received her BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in 1994 and her MFA in Printmaking from the University of Michigan in 1996. Huang also teaches at Parsons School of Design, Wave Hill, and the Pastel Society of America. She has over 20 years of experience in art education and has taught a variety of children, teen and adult classes and workshops at 92Y since 2005. Her mixed media installations combine paper, wood, print, fabric and photography. Her work has been exhibited at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Wave Hill, Detroit Artists Market Biennial and in various NYC galleries. She has received grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the New School, private and public commissions including through NYC Percent for Art program, as well as residencies at the Lower East Side Printshop, Dieu Donne Papermill, Center for Book Arts and the Ragdale Foundation. She lives and works in Brooklyn.

All sessions will be held on Zoom with an optional site visit available to participants. A tech session will be available to those who are unfamiliar with zoom. A selection of basic materials will be provided to participants in advance of the program via mail. $250 for nonmembers/$150 for members. Advanced registration is required. Partial scholarships are available upon request. For more information email education@olana.org.

Photo by Wennie Huang

Friday, August 11, from 3:00pm-5:00pm

This program is offered in connection with our summer exhibition, "Terraforming: Olana's Historic Photography Collection Unearthed.”

During this hands-on workshop and lecture, photographer Peter Aaron will explore how to capture the spirit of a building from the inside out. Using Olana’s architecture and artist-designed landscape as a source of inspiration, Peter will walk participants through his own approach to photographing Olana’s historic buildings, providing an inside perspective on the decisions, tools, and techniques that make for a successful architectural photo. This special program will culminate with an overview of the history of architectural photography and a Q&A so participants can learn more about Peter’s use of dramatic camera angles, theatrical lighting, and cinematic techniques in his own practice.

Peter Aaron has been shooting architecture and interiors for thirty-five years and started his career as a cinematographer. After working for designers Ward Bennett and Joseph d’Urso, Peter began a transformational apprenticeship with the great architectural photographer Ezra Stoller eventually developing his own strong compositional approach and individual style. Peter has been a contributing photographer for Architectural Digest with images frequently appearing in other magazines and books and has photographed structures by the most influential and groundbreaking architects of the last thirty years, including Robert A.M. Stern, Rem Koolhaas, and Peter Eisenman.

This program is $15 per person or $10 for members. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership. Participants are invited to bring their own cameras to engage in this workshop. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Saturday, August 26, 6:00PM-7:30PM

This program is offered in connection with our summer exhibition, "Terraforming: Olana's Historic Photography Collection Unearthed.”

Join us to lean into late summer, discover common plant allies at Olana, and learn more about their medicinal benefits and natural wisdom. During this nature walk and workshop, Nkoula Badila, founder of Grow Black Hudson, will guide participants through Olana’s landscape, discussing the health benefits of regional species and the ways we can connect with nature through movement and herbal medicine. Following a walk through Olana’s late summer landscape, Nkoula, a seasoned yoga practitioner and performing artist, will lead a short yoga practice inspired by the flora onsite. This program will culminate with a hands-on activity where participants will be invited to create their own herbal tea blend or a mugwort smudge stick to take home.

Nkoula Badila is the Founder, Grow Black Hudson, a local sustainable farming initiative, is deeply rooted in the histories of inequity related to the black experience with our national food system. A musician and artist, Nkoula is experienced in the performing arts and practices of healing movement. Nkoula has interned at local farms and after graduating high school, she participated in Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WOOFing), farming in Mexico, Belize, Haiti, and California.

Advance registration required at OLANA.org. This program is $15 per person or $10 for members. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 8:00 AM

Get your binoculars ready for this Labor Day Weekend Bird Walk! Join the Alan Devoe Bird Club on an exploration through Olana’s artist-designed landscape while keeping eyes and ears open for local birds. Learn more about local bird species, habitats, and behaviors with Dr. William Cook, Professor Emeritus at Columbia-Greene Community College and the Curator of C-GCC's Natural History Museum.

FREE, advanced registration required. This program will meet outside the Olana Wagon House Education Center. For more information, contact education@olana.org.

Image credit: Suzy Allman

Friday, September 15, 5:00pm-6:30pm

This program is offered in connection with our summer exhibition, "Terraforming: Olana's Historic Photography Collection Unearthed."

During this workshop guided by herbalist, educator and founder of Herban Cura, Antonia Estela Pérez, participants will learn about several medicinal and food plants growing in Olana and how we can build mutually regenerative relationships. During this walk through Olana’s artist-designed landscape, Antonia will discuss basic frameworks for how to begin building relationships with the plants. Participants will turn to the plants to learn some of the stories of the land, how they got there, and the messages the plants have to share with us all about the history of settler colonialism and displacement.

Antonia Estela Pérez is a Chilean-American clinical herbalist, gardener, educator, community organizer, and founder. Born and raised in New York City, in a first-generation household which nurtured the values and principles of nature appreciation, land stewardship, interdisciplinary education, and social justice. Antonia combines a decade of experience studying and working with plant medicine, with her studies in environmental and urban studies at Bard College, Clinical Herbalism at Arborvitae School of Traditional Herbal Medicine, and learning with herbalists and elders throughout Central and South America. Antonia is the co-founder of Herban Cura, an herbal medicine and education project which centers the knowledge and stories of Indigenous, Black, Queer and Trans communities.

Advance registration required at OLANA.org. This program is $15 per person or $10 for members. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

September 16, 2023 from 11:00am-12:00pm

Join Olana's beekeeper Chris Layman to celebrate National Honey Month during this special pollinator walk. Chris will discuss how Frederic Church's artist-designed landscape provides abundant nutrition for bees and will highlight key plants that help these special pollinators sustain themselves throughout the year. Participants will learn more about how Chris keeps Olana's honey bees healthy along with the nutrition-rich flora that inhabit the landscape. This program will culminate with a honey tasting and an opportunity to purchase Fox Farm honey to add to your own pantry or picnic lunch.

Chris Layman, Cornell Master Beekeeper, manages the honey bee hives in Olana’s historic farm complex and together with his wife, Lisa, owns and operates Fox Farm Apiary in Greene County. Fox Farm Apiary manages several apiaries including hives at Greene Land Trust and the Woodstock Land Conservancy.

$15 person, $10 members. Advanced registration required. For more information, please contact education@olana.org.

Tuesday, September 26-Thursday, September 28; 9:00am-12:00pm

Ever wonder how artists like Frederic Church captured detail, contrast, and perspective? Participants ages 55 and up are invited to sketch Church’s artist-designed landscape and scenic views learning basic artistic principles in the process. During each three hour program led by teaching artist Shawn del Joyce, participants will be provided with basic sketching materials, watch a short live demo, and experiment with sketching their own view of Olana’s famous landscape.

This three session course is part of an inclusive, anti-ageist, and participatory series of creative skill building programs at Olana. The course is specifically designed to provide older adults an opportunity to explore their artistic side, socialize with peers, and learn more about Olana, a resource for creativity in their own backyard. This class is perfect for those with mobility impairments or specific accessibility needs and will take place at easily accessible sites at Olana.

Shawn Dell Joyce began teaching plein air classes in 2000 and continues weekly to this day. She founded a plein air school with an arts and agricultural mission based on the historic Hudson River School, called the Wallkill River School of Art. It still exists today as a nonprofit arts organization with a mission of bringing cultural tourism to the Hudson Valley region through plein air painting workshops and events on local farms, historic sites, and open spaces. Her work is included in museum collections in the Georges Pompidou Museum in France and the Museum of Modern Art in NY.

Materials and chairs will be provided. $250 for non-members/$150 for members. Advanced registration required at OLANA.org. Scholarships are available upon request. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Learn more about Olana’s famous views, making art at the sites and viewpoints once experienced and designed by Frederic Church himself. Each class will begin with a demonstration in pastel and oil but the class is open to artists of all skill levels working in all media. Basic sketching supplies will be provided but participants are encouraged to bring materials of their choosing to guide their learning.

Each session will focus on the key principles of depicting a landscape, such as harnessing perspective, composition, and detail, while also covering important information on how best to prepare for artmaking outdoors. The course is open to all skill levels and participants without a background working outdoors are encouraged to participate. Each class will meet at a designated outdoor location onsite in Church’s designed landscape, offering students a unique opportunity to learn from a living practicing artist while walking in Church’s footsteps.

Shawn Dell Joyce began teaching plein air classes in 2000 and continues weekly to this day. She founded a plein air school with an arts and agricultural mission based on the historic Hudson River School, called the Wallkill River School of Art. It still exists today as a nonprofit arts organization with a mission of bringing cultural tourism to the Hudson Valley region through plein air painting workshops and events on local farms, historic sites, and open spaces. Her work is included in museum collections in the Georges Pompidou Museum in France and the Museum of Modern Art in NY.

Register for one session or all five! $200 for five sessions for members; $40 per session for members. $250 for five sessions for nonmembers; $50 per session for nonmembers. Basic sketching supplies will be provided. Advanced registration required – please register for each session separately. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.

Saturday, October 14, 10:30am-12:30PM

This program is offered in connection with our summer exhibition, "Terraforming: Olana's Historic Photography Collection Unearthed.”

Join us for a walk and discussion about how human hands shape the landscape and how the land transforms us. During this program, Laura Chávez Silverman, founding naturalist of The Outside Institute, will guide participants in accessing their curiosity and sense of awe in nature. A walk throughout Olana’s artist-designed landscape will give participants a chance to observe ecological conditions and think more about the relationship between humans and their surroundings. Identifying flora, fauna and fungi’s edible and medicinal properties will help participants cultivate a more intimate connection to their surroundings.

Laura Chávez Silverman is the Founding Naturalist of The Outside Institute, where she shares her deep love of Nature. Laura frequently speaks on topics including the psychic and health benefits of engaging with Nature, sustainable foraging and how interconnected systems inspire better living. From 2010-17, Laura wrote “Glutton for Life,” a blog that explored Catskill living, including cooking with seasonal and foraged foods, and gardening.

Advance registration required at OLANA.org. This program is $15 per person or $10 for members. For more information, please contact education@olana.org or call (518) 751-6938.