Current Exhibitions & Events
Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills
April 30 – October 29, 2017
The 2017 exhibition presented in Thomas Cole’s New Studio gallery explores the work of the Hudson River School artist, Sanford R. Gifford. Curated by Kevin J. Avery, Senior Research Scholar at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills explores the artist’s creative process and for the first time brings the original paintings to a venue just a few miles from the sites that inspired them.
Photo Credit: New Studio Gallery, 2017 © Peter Aaron/OTTO
The Parlors
April 30 – October 29, 2017
Visit The Parlors, an immersive experience in the first floor of the Main House where historic restoration meets multimedia technology.The carefully researched restoration has transformed the first floor of Cole’s home to his original design, as visitors in his day would have experienced it and features recently discovered hand-painted decorative borders by Thomas Cole himself which represent the earliest-known interior decorative painting by an American artist.
Photo Credit: East Parlor, 2017 © Peter Aaron/OTTO
Mind Upon Nature: Thomas Cole’s Creative Process
April 30 – October 29, 2017
Explore Thomas Cole’s working process and ideas through an array of original sketches and paintings made by Cole, alongside the books and objects that inspired him. Discover the pigments and materials he used to realize his influential paintings. This special exhibition is located upstairs in the Main House and is comprised of original objects, ninety percent of which are from the Cole Site collection.
Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills: The Art Trail
Free
You’ve seen the paintings, now get out there and see the views. Follow the footsteps of 19th century Hudson River School artist Sanford R. Gifford and trace the origins of America’s first major art movement back to nature. These famous scenes are now on view in the New Studio gallery, but the originals are out there in the wilderness for you to experience.
2017 Community Day
Free Admission
Sun, Sept 24 from 1 – 4 pm
Save the date! The Thomas Cole Site is buzzing and everyone is invited to join in the fun for free on Sunday, September 24th from 1pm to 4pm, rain or shine. Guests can explore Thomas Cole’s home and studios, the special exhibition Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills, and the immersive installation The Parlors. The event will feature the annual open call exhibition Postcards from the Trail, as well as games, demonstrations, refreshments, and activities for the whole family.
Stay tuned for more details.
Past Exhibitions & Events
The Thomas Cole Site Annual Summer Party
Sat, June 24 from 7 -11 pm
152 William Street, Catskill, NY 12414
Join us for a spectacular evening under the stars on the banks of the Hudson River in Catskill, NY to benefit the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. The event features sweeping views of the Hudson River, elegant cocktails, a magnificent seated dinner and the opportunity to bid on thrilling get-aways and other fabulous auction items.
Opening Lecture “Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills”
Dr. Kevin Avery
Sun, Apr 30 at 2 pm
Join Dr. Kevin Avery, Senior Research Scholar at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and curator of the Thomas Cole Site 2017 exhibition “Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills,” to discuss the exhibition featuring paintings by 19th-Century landscape painter Sanford Gifford, whose work was Inspired by Cole.
Image credit: Sanford Gifford, Ledge on South Mountain, in the Catskills, 1861-62. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum
2017 Opening Day
Free admission
Sun, Apr 30 from 11 am – 2 pm
Join us for Opening Day of our 2017 season. The historic site will offer free admission from 11 am to 2 pm. This special event will include the unveiling of The Parlors in the Main House and the opening of the 2017 New Studio exhibition Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills curated by Kevin Avery, Senior Research Scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Image credit: Detail of Thomas Cole’s decorative borders in the East Parlor of the artist’s home.
SUNDAY SALONS: “A Painter’s Paradise”: Thomas Cole and His Transformative Experience in Florence, 1831-32
John F. McGuigan, Jr.
Sun, Apr 9 at 2 pm
Join independent scholar John McGuigan as he explores the critical twelve months Cole lived and worked in Florence, the place Cole’s biographer called “next to home itself, the happiest place in which he ever lived,” and where he produced some of the finest paintings of his career.
Thomas Cole, View of Florence, 1837. Oil on canvas. 39 11/8 x 63 1/8 inches. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, The Cleveland Museum of Art
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Sun, Jan 7, Feb 12, Mar 12 & April 9 at 1 & 3:30 pm
Join us for a sneak preview into the installation of The Parlors, an immersive experience in the newly restored rooms where America’s first major art movement was born. These special tours take place on the second Sunday of each month from January through April on the same days as the Sunday Salons. Opening in May 2017, the Parlors integrates a meticulous historic restoration with interactive audio visual technology to bring to life the two main parlors of Thomas Cole’s home.
SUNDAY SALONS: Buried Treasure: Thomas Cole’s Decoration of Cedar Grove
Jean Dunbar, Matthew Mosca
Sun, Mar 12 at 2 pm
Meet the historic interiors experts – Jean Dunbar, of Historic Design, Inc. and Matthew Mosca, of Artifex, Ltd. – as they reveal the story behind the amazing discovery of Thomas Cole’s decorative painted borders on the walls of his home that had been hidden from view for over a century. The borders will be unveiled in May with the completion of the Parlors, an immersive experience in the the newly restored rooms in the Main House.
SUNDAY SALONS: The Influence of the Dutch Golden Age on the Hudson River School
Lloyd DeWitt
Sun, Feb 12 at 2 pm
Join Dr. Lloyd DeWitt, Chief Curator and Irene Leache Curator of European Art at the Chrysler Museum of Art, as he explores the transformational influence of the 17th century Dutch landscape painting on Cole and other Hudson River School artists.
Please note, this lecture did take place despite the inclement weather and there are no plans to reschedule another one at this time.
SUNDAY SALONS: Reinventing Thomas Cole’s Home
Elizabeth Jacks & Alan Wallach
Sun, Jan 8 at 2 pm
In May 2017, the Cole site unveils a project that has been in the making for over a decade, the Parlors Project. Join Elizabeth Jacks, Executive Director of the Cole site and Alan Wallach, Ralph H. Wark Professor of Art and Art History and Professor of American Studies Emeritus at the College of William and Mary, for a sneak preview of this highly innovative installation.
A Holiday Gathering in Thomas Cole’s New Studio
Sat, Dec 10 at 5 pm
Please join us for a special holiday event that will take place in our newest building, the reconstructed “New Studio.” Festive libations will be served starting at 5 pm in the gallery. Guests are then invited to one of six magnificent nearby private homes for a scrumptious holiday dinner, seated around a table with both old friends and new acquaintances. Please note: the dinners for this event are now sold out, but tickets are still available for the cocktail portion of the evening.
Cover art by Carrie Feder, painted on a print of Portrait of Thomas Cole by Asher B. Durand, 1838. Berkshire Museum
Thomas Cole: The Artist as Architect
May through October 2016
In celebration of the reconstruction of Thomas Cole’s Italianate studio at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, the 2016 exhibition and the accompanying book focus on Cole’s architectural interests, and feature major works by Cole that are rarely seen in this region, including his iconic painting, The Architect’s Dream.
JASON MIDDLEBROOK: Nature Builds / We Cover
August through October 2016
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is pleased to announce the start of a new series of contemporary installations entitled OPEN HOUSE: Contemporary Art in Conversation with Cole, and the inaugural exhibition, Jason Middlebrook: Nature Builds / We Cover. The artworks are installed throughout the Main House as well as outside on the lawn.
The Raymond Beecher Memorial Lecture
October 9 at 2 pm
Taking Time to Look: The Landscape Films of Peter Hutton
by Scott MacDonald, PhD
Join Scott MacDonald, author of 14 books on independent cinema, as he presents the work of filmmaker Peter Hutton, the foremost Hudson River film artist of the past half-century, who passed away on June 25. For over thirty years MacDonald’s passion has been introducing audiences to the worlds of alternative film and video. The lecture will take place at the Arts Center Theater at the Columbia Greene Community College and a reception will follow. Lecture tickets are $9, or $8 for members.
Guided Hikes
Visit the magnificent nearby views that are depicted in Thomas Cole’s paintings. Our guided hikes are offered from June to October, and each begins at 9 am. During other times you can pick up our guidebook, visit our free online guide at Hudson River School and visit on your own. See suggested itineraries
Guided Hikes will begin again in the spring.
Support for programs at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.