Emily Cole and Downie Church were both prolific painters of flora, finding inspiration in the meadows, orchards, and gardens of their Hudson Valley homes. As friends, neighbors, and fellow artists, Emily Cole and Downie Church continued the legacy of artistic mentorship begun by their artist fathers, Thomas Cole (1801-1848) and Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900). This discussion will explore how Emily Cole’s and Downie Church’s artistic practices—largely characterized by the close observation of the natural world, specifically its flora—reflect personal expression, gendered expectations, and the professional artistic networks and trends of the late 19th century

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. Investigate Church’s intimate forest paintings with Marc Wolf, Director of Horticulture and Environmental Stewardship at Mountain Top Arboretum in the Catskills. During this conversation, Marc explores Church’s ecological eye in three different forest scenes, illuminating the artist’s observations of humanity’s environmental impact.

Learn more about Marianne North, the groundbreaking female botanical painter who travelled extensively across the globe in the late 1800s and even made her way to Olana. During this presentation, Dr. Lynne Howarth-Gladston focuses on North’s self-styled gallery at Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (United Kingdom) which was designed to house over 800 of her botanical paintings

Uncover the ins and outs of an artist’s archive through this dynamic conversation with Olana archivists and famed biographer Victoria Johnson. During this moderated virtual conversation, explore how writers and scholars navigate archival materials to make their own discoveries and creations. Participants will get a sneak peek into Victoria Johnson’s forthcoming biography on Frederic Church, the first of its kind, set to be released in 2026.

Ever wondered how Frederic Church brought his vision of the natural world to life in his art? During this virtual presentation, artist and educator Shawn Dell Joyce will lead viewers through a special exercise to help see Church’s work anew with an artist’s perspective. After examining Church studies together and exploring ideas such as composition, value, and the rule of thirds, participants will learn how Frederic Church and other “Hudson River School” painters approached landscape painting “en plein air” or outdoors.

During this virtual program, author Debra Bruno will detail her experience unearthing her own family’s connection to an often overlooked and violent part of New York history. She will be joined in conversation by Lisa Fludd-Smith of the African American Archive of Columbia County.