August 12 – November 19, 2017

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 © Peter Aaron/OTTO

April 30 – November 19, 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 © Peter Aaron/OTTO

April 30 – November 19, 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.

Painting: Diagram of Kontrasts, 1834, Thomas Cole. Courtesy of Collection Richard Sharp.

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.

Free

Join us in celebrating all that the Village of Catskill has to offer on Friday, September 1 and Friday, October 6. Fall First Fridays will include free admission to the historic site, extended hours at local shops within walking distance, and special events including a fashion show, live music, a dance festival, and a local farmers market.

Free Admission

Sun, Sept 24, 1 – 4 pm

The Thomas Cole Site is buzzing and everyone is invited to join in the fun for free on Sunday, September 24^th from 1pm to 4pm, rain or shine. Community day is presented in partnership with the first ever Skywalk Arts Festival at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in collaboration with the Thomas Cole Site and Olana State Historic Site. Guests can explore Thomas Cole’s home and studios, the special exhibitions Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills, and KIKI SMITH / From the Creek, 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.

Exhibition: Sunday, September 24

Submission deadline: Tuesday, September 5

Show your artwork in Picturing the Sublime, the 6th annual exhibition of postcard-sized original artworks celebrating the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley. Open to all ages.

Submissions accepted

Sept 24, 2017 to Feb 24, 2018

The Essay on American Scenery Contest is now open. In 1836, Thomas Cole wrote Essay on American Scenery, reflecting on the beauty of the American landscape and decrying its disappearance at the hands of industrialization. Today, the conflict between preservation and development of our landscapes is more relevant than ever. We invite you to respond to the question,“How is the American landscape changing today?”

Drawing: Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), Portrait of Thomas Cole, c. 1845, pencil on paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., John Wilmerding Collection

Tuesday, October, 24 

NYC

A reception with cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres followed by remarks by Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Ph.D. Alice Pratt Brown Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hosted by the Thomas Cole Board of Trustees and Connie Simmons and James Krugman. This is a ticketed event with limited availability.

Painting: Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow,  1836. Oil on canvas, 51 ½ x 76 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1908, 08.228.

Honorary Co-Chairs Stephen Hannock & Sting

Honorees Elizabeth Kornhauser, The Met & Tim Barringer, Yale

Fri, Mar 9, 2018 

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.