Events & Programs
The Social Salon: A New Year Gathering
Sun, Jan 25
All are invited for a free, fun afternoon of libations, a make-your-own stamped card activity, winter-themed tours, and more to welcome in the New Year.
Winter House Tours will be available for $15/person. Limited availability.
Sunday Salon Tour
Thomas Cole & Historic Household
Sun, Feb 22
Explore the home of American artist and early environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801–1848) with a Museum Guide. See original Hudson River School paintings, experience the artist’s interior design of his home, and discover immersive digital experiences.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Thomas Cole and Frederic Church: Mastering the Landscape Oil Sketch with Elizabeth Kornhauser, Ph.D.
Sun, Mar 29
Join Elizabeth Kornhauser, Curator Emerita at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Senior Curator and Chair, The Frederic Church Bicentennial Committee, for a discussion about Thomas Cole and Frederic Church.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Thomas Doughty’s Approaching Storm: A Gift to the Cole House; a Goad to Thomas Cole with Kevin Avery
Sun, Apr 19
Join Kevin Avery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a discussion on Thomas Doughty’s 1822 painting, Approaching Storm (Land Storm).
Exhibition Opening Conversation
Thomas Cole: An American Visionary with Alan Wallach, Ph.D., and Dr. Nancy Siegel
Sat, Apr 25
Join esteemed art historians and Hudson River School scholars, Alan Wallach and Nancy Siegel, for an Opening Conversation on Thomas Cole’s enduring legacy and profound impact on American art in the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
This program is in commemoration of the opening of the new Richard Sharp Gallery and exhibition, Thomas Cole: An American Visionary.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Thomas Cole and American Wilderness with William L. Coleman, Ph.D.
Sun, May 31
Join William L. Coleman, inaugural Wyeth Foundation Director of the Wyeth Study Center, for a discussion on Thomas Cole and American Wilderness.
Sunday Salon Tour
Black Labor & Legacy at the Historic Property
Sun, Jun 14
Explore the historic property with a Museum Educator to learn about the often-hidden experiences of labor on the historic property, different perspectives on land, anti-Black policies, and the ways in which Black Catskill residents mobilized and formed abolitionist circles in the 19th century.
Sunday Salon
Catwalk Artists-in-Residence
Sun, Jul 26
Join the Thomas Cole Site and Catwalk Institute’s artists-in-residence for art installations and performances.
Tickets Coming Soon
Summer Festival
Sun, Aug 30
Join us for a free, outdoor Summer Festival on the grounds, hands-on garden activities, special tours, and more.
Tour Tickets Coming Soon
Sunday Salon Lecture
Artist Lecture with Cynthia Daignault
Sun, Sept 13
Join artist Cynthia Daignault for a discussion about her artwork, Light Atlas.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Nature, Music, Joy, and Loss: Thomas Cole’s The Pic-Nic Party as Elegy with Terry Carbone, Ph.D.
Sun, Oct 4
Join art historian Terry Carbone, Ph.D., for a discussion about Thomas Cole’s The Pic-Nic Party.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Graham C. Boettcher, Ph.D.
Sun, Nov 22
Join Graham C. Boettcher, Ph.D., R. Hugh Daniel Director & CEO Birmingham Museum of Art for a lecture on Thomas Cole’s impact on American identity and art.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Thomas Cole and Connecticut: A Closer Look with Erin Monroe, Curator
Sun, Dec 13
Join Erin Monroe, Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, for a lecture on how time spent in Connecticut profoundly shaped the early works of Thomas Cole and his Connecticut-born protégé, Frederic Church.
2026 Second Saturdays
Jan–Dec 2026
Join monthly making activities inspired by the themes of the Thomas Cole Site’s historic property and special exhibitions on view.
Information & Tickets Coming Soon
2026 Curators’ Tours
Feb–Dec 2026
Join monthly guided tours of our collections and special exhibitions with Kate Menconeri, Thomas Cole Site Chief Curator, and Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator.
Information & Tickets Coming Soon
2026 Family Tour & Play
Jan–Dec 2026
Explore during monthly quiet hours to take a closer look at select artworks from our collections and special exhibitions, sketching in the galleries, and playtime in the historic gardens.
Information & Tickets Coming Soon
2026 Close-Looking Series
May–Dec 2026
Join monthly close-looking discussions that focus on different paintings or items in our collections and special exhibitions.
Information & Tickets Coming Soon
The Thomas Cole Site’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
The Thomas Cole Site programs and operations are supported by the National Park Service, The Enoch Foundation, Marianne Lockwood, The Educational Foundation of America, The KHR McNeely Family Foundation, Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely, Evelyn D. Trebilcock & Douglas Hammond, Warner Foundation, Anonymous, The Aven A. Kerr Trust, Patti Matheney & Michael Schrom, Bumblebee Fund, The Cranshaw Corporation, James LaForce & Stephen Henderson, Jenny & Campbell Levy, The May Family Foundation, Tianaderrah Foundation, Illiana van Meeteren & Terence Boylan, and the Kindred Spirits Society of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site.
The Program Endowment that supports educational programs at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this the programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
