Events & Programs
A new installation of selections from the Cole Site permanent collection and works on long-term loan is now on view in the first-floor Library gallery. The second-floor gallery in the Main House is temporarily closed for renovations through April 24, 2026. Original artwork is on view throughout the rest of the second floor in addition to the Library gallery.
Exhibition Opening
Emily Cole & Valerie Hegarty: Life Cycles
Fri, Mar 13
Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, Emily Cole & Valerie Hegarty: Life Cycles, with art, sips, and good friends from 4:30–6 pm. All are welcome, but we hope that you will consider becoming a member.
Second Saturday Workshop
Historic Patterns & Printmaking with Museum Educators
Sat, Mar 14
Explore 19th-century printmaking practices on a tour of the historic Main House with original decorative paintings by Thomas Cole, then design your own block print inspired by Cole’s interior designs.
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.
Curator’s Tour
Spotlight on Artists Emily Cole and Valerie Hegarty
Fri, Apr 3
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, to learn about the artwork of artists Emily Cole and Valerie Hegarty.
Second Saturday Activity
Spring Cleanup & Volunteer Day
Sat, Apr 11
Join us for a spring clean-up day to help us preserve the historic grounds, gardens, and more. Stop by and learn about volunteering opportunities, such as gallery sitting and event support. Volunteers can enjoy a visit to the museum buildings following outdoor work. Light lunch and beverages will be provided.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Thomas Doughty’s Approaching Storm: A Gift to the Cole House; a Goad to Thomas Cole with Kevin Avery, Ph.D.
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 Nancy Siegel, Ph.D.
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.
Exhibition Opening
Thomas Cole: An American Visionary
Sat, Apr 25
Celebrate the opening of the new Richard Sharp Gallery and exhibition, Thomas Cole: An American Visionary, with art, sips, and good friends from 4–6 pm. All are welcome, but we hope that you will consider becoming a member.
Curator’s Tour
Exhibition Tour of Thomas Cole: An American Visionary
Fri, May 1
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a guided tour of the new exhibition, Thomas Cole: An American Visionary.
2026 Cole Fellows’ Presentations
Fri, May 1
Be the first to hear new discoveries from the Class of 2026 Cole Fellows, Maya Junkins and Peyton Masilun, during a discussion of their year-long research projects at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site.
All-Inclusive Museum Day Trip
Hill-Stead Museum & Wadsworth Atheneum
Sat, May 9
Join a group of fellow arts and culture enthusiasts for a specially curated and guided day trip with all-inclusive meals, transportation, and special museum access departing from the Hudson Valley to Connecticut and back again.
Presented by the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in partnership with Friendship Tours
Second Saturday Workshop
Create Your Own Color Wheel
Sat, May 9
Make your own wood-stained color wheel inspired by Thomas Cole’s painting, Diagram of Contrasts, and tour the historic Main House and new exhibition, Thomas Cole: An American Visionary, in the newly opened Richard Sharp Gallery. Teachers can enjoy a discounted workshop for Teacher Appreciation Day!
Hudson Talbott Memorial
Sun, May 17 | 3-5 pm
Celebrate the life of Hudson Talbott, the longest serving trustee of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, beloved community leader, and celebrated author and illustrator.
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.
Curator’s Tour
Collection Highlights
Fri, Jun 5
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a tour of the Thomas Cole Site collections.
Second Saturday Workshop
Create Your Own Mineral Box
Sat, Jun 13
Join museum education staff to construct your own handmade curio container for trinkets and found objects. Participants will tour the historic Main House to view Thomas Cole’s Box of Minerals and Artifacts in the newly opened Richard Sharp Gallery. Learn about 19th century collecting practices, followed by making in the Storehouse.
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.
Exhibition Opening
Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement
Sat, Jun 20
Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement, in the historic Library Gallery with art, sips, and good friends from 4–6 pm. All are welcome, but we hope that you will consider becoming a member.
Exhibition Opening
Cynthia Daignault: Light Atlas
Sat, Jun 20
Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, Cynthia Daignault: Light Atlas, in the 1846 New Studio with art, sips, and good friends from 4–6 pm. All are welcome, but we hope that you will consider becoming a member.
Curator’s Tour
Exhibition Tour of Cynthia Daignault’s Light Atlas
Fri, Jul 3
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a guided tour of the special exhibition Light Atlas by Cynthia Daignault.
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
Curator’s Tour
Exhibition Tour of Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement
Fri, Aug 7
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a tour of the special exhibition Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement.
Summer Festival
Sun, Aug 23
Join us for a free, outdoor Summer Festival on the grounds, hands-on garden activities, special tours, and more.
Tour Tickets Coming Soon
Curator’s Tour
Collection Highlights
Fri, Sept 4
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a tour of the Thomas Cole Site collections.
Sunday Salon Lecture
Artist Lecture with Cynthia Daignault
Sun, Sept 13
Join artist Cynthia Daignault for a discussion about her artwork, Light Atlas.
Curator’s Tour
Exhibition Tour of Cynthia Daignault’s Light Atlas
Fri, Oct 2
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a guided tour of the special exhibition Light Atlas by Cynthia Daignault.
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.
Curator’s Tour
Exhibition Tour of Thomas Cole: An American Visionary
Fri, Nov 6
Join Amanda Malmstrom, Thomas Cole Site Associate Curator, for a tour of the special exhibition, Thomas Cole: An American Visionary.
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 Close-Looking Series
May–Dec 2026
Join us on the third Thursday of every month from May through December for 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.
