Who We Are
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY, marks the birthplace of the major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School, as it was founded by Thomas Cole (1801-1848). The nationally recognized historic site is an affiliate of the National Park Service and operates as a forward thinking nonprofit organization embracing change and continually pursuing authenticity and resonance. Thomas Cole’s profound influence on America’s cultural landscape inspires us to engage broad audiences through innovative educational programs that are relevant today. Our programming and operations are continually evolving under our initiatives for Greening and Diversity, Equity and Access.
Vision Statement
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site will be the leading source for education and scholarship that inspires cultural and environmental awareness of the American landscape and the continuing impact of Thomas Cole’s art and ideas.
Mission Statement
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site preserves and interprets the home, and studios of Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, the nation’s first art movement. Cole’s profound influence on America’s cultural landscape inspires us to engage broad audiences through innovative educational programs that are relevant today.
Land Acknowledgement
It is with gratitude that we acknowledge that we are gathering on the ancestral lands of the Mohawk and other Haudenosaunee peoples and the Mohican, Lenape, and other Algonquian-speaking peoples. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all. We respect the enduring relationships that exist between these peoples and the land and waterways.
A statement from the Thomas Cole National Historic Site developed in conversation with Dr. Scott Manning Stevens, a citizen of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, and Heather Bruegl, a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and first line descendent Stockbridge Munsee.
Staff
STAFF
Elizabeth B. Jacks, Executive Director
Jean Campbell, Gardener
Margaret DiStefano, Marketing & Visitor Services Coordinator
Jennifer Greim, Director of Advancement & External Affairs
Jessica Goon, Events & Communications Coordinator
Paul Harwood, Grounds & Facilities Assistant
Traci Horgen, Director of Finance & Administration
Amanda Malmstrom, Associate Curator
Kate Menconeri, Chief Curator / Dir. of Curatorial Affairs, Contemporary Art, & Fellowship
Garry Nack, Facilities Manager
Peter and Tone Noci, Caretakers
Eugene O’Brien, Bookkeeper
Maura O’Shea, Deputy Director
Heather Palmer, Director of Visitor Engagement
Gabby Ricciardi, Education Coordinator
Caroline Williams, Development Operations & Data Manager
MUSEUM GUIDES
Ben Davidson
Maya Junkins
Lora Lee Ecobelli
Jordan Shook
Nancy Winch
Beth Wynne
2023-24 COLE FELLOWS
Catherine Augustyn
Michaela Ellison-Davidson
Ryan Munasinghe
Brandon Vanbach
Board of Trustees
Lisa Fox Martin, Chairman
Marianne Lockwood, Vice Chairman
Warner Shook, Vice Chairman
Tom de Swardt, Treasurer
Susan Ball, Secretary
Elizabeth B. Jacks, Executive Director
Jimmy Bulich
Carrie Feder
Guy Griggs
Nina Matis
Anne J. Miller
Stephen Shadley
Tara Sullivan
Hudson Talbott
Evelyn Trebilcock
Susan G. A. Warner
Trustees Emeritus
Stephen Dunn
Linda Gentalen
Michel Goldberg
Sybil Tannenbaum
Maynard Toll
Jack Van Loan
New Studio, © Peter Aaron/OTTO
National Council
Kevin J. Avery, Senior Research Scholar, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor in the History of Art, Yale University
Annette Blaugrund, Former director of the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Art, NYC
Linda S. Ferber, Senior Art Historian & Museum Director Emerita, New-York Historical Society
Ella M. Foshay, Independent Scholar
Eleanor Jones Harvey, Senior Curator (Painting & Sculpture), Smithsonian American Art Museum
Patricia Junker, Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art, Seattle Art Museum
Elizabeth Kornhauser, Alice Pratt Brown Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Katherine Manthorne, Professor of Modern Art of the Americas, City University of New York
Mark D. Mitchell, Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, Yale University Art Gallery
Barbara Novak, Helen Goodhart Altschul Professor of Art History Emerita, Columbia University
Paul D. Schweizer, Director Emeritus, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
Nancy Siegel, Professor of Art History, Towson University
Kiki Smith, Artist
Alan Wallach, Ralph H. Wark Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History & Professor of American Studies, The College of William & Mary
Newsletters
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site publishes an annual newsletter available here on our website. Learn about where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Annual Reports
Filled with information on our exhibitions, education, outreach and development and a letter from the Executive Director, Elizabeth B. Jacks, the Annual Report provides an exciting overview of the National Historic Site each year.
2019 Historic Structure Report on the 1815 Main House
The HSR was prepared by John G. Waite Associates, Architects, with support from the National Park Service.
Life at Cedar Grove Research Report
The Life at Cedar Grove research report was prepared by independent researcher Maureen Hart Hennessey for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Interpretive Planning Project, with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Cultural Landscape Report
The Cultural Landscape Report was prepared by Heritage Partners and Robert M. Toole.
Special appreciation to Raymond Beecher, the preservation angel who saved this National Historic Site, and whose research on aspects ofthe Cedar Grove story, as cited in the footnotes of this report, enriched this study.
Support for the Thomas Cole Site programs and operations is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, National Park Service, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, The Bay & Paul Foundations, Enoch Foundation, the Warner Foundation, The Manitou Fund, Brown Foundation, a Humanities New York SHARP Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan, The Educational Foundation of America, The J. M. Kaplan Fund, Tianaderrah Foundation, and the Kindred Spirits Society of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site.
Staff photo by Adam T. Deen