Sharp Family Gallery
Olana State Historic Site
Organized by The Olana Partnership

Harness your powers of observation and join a series of special ‘close looking’ conversations.

During 45-minute guided dialogues, learn more about two to three works of art from Olana’s collection through visual analysis, personal reflection, and historical information. Discover how slowing down and focusing attention can foster deep connections with works of art, artists, and ourselves.

Second-floor galleries require several flights of stairs and are not ADA accessible. Seating will be provided.

No prior knowledge of art is necessary, and all are welcome.

JUMP TO

Ongoing for 2025

Fallen Trees and Forest Floors

Over decades, Frederic Church made detailed sketches recording trees and botanical details observed in the natural environment. This installation of the A Closer Look series will focus on a set of sketches of forest floors that served as references for Church’s finished easel paintings, offering visitors an opportunity to observe the artist’s process. 

Frederic Edwin Church, Wood Interior at Mount Turner, c. 1877. Oil and graphite on paper mounted on canvas. 12 5/16 x 20 5/16 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.1869.A
Frederic Edwin Church, Wood Interior Near Mount Katahdin, c. 1877. Oil on paper mounted on canvas. 12 5/16 x 17 1/16 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.1871.A
Frederic Edwin Church, Mexican Forest – A Composition, 1891. Oil on canvas. 14 ⅛ x 20 ⅞ inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.1925.A

Can’t Make It? Take a Closer Look Online!

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.

Can’t Make It? Take a Closer Look Online!

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.

Upcoming

Frederic Church’s Atmospheric Eye

Inspired by mid-19th century advances in the scientific study of natural phenomena, Frederic Church made repeated oil studies, sketches, and dramatic finished canvas paintings depicting atmospheric spectacles produced by the effects of sunlight, including rainbows, sunbeams, and the aurora borealis. In this installation of the A Closer Look series, enjoy a close examination of two of Church’s intimate painted studies of these atmospheric phenomena.

Frederic Edwin Church, Rainbow Near Berchtesgaden, Germany, July-August 1868. Oil on paper mounted on canvas. 8 3/16 x 11 15/16 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.1883.A
Frederic Edwin Church, Aurora Borealis, c. 1865-66. Oil on canvas. 9 1/16 x 14 5/8 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.1879.A

Gallery Explorers: A Free Family Program

Saturday, June 21 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM

Experience learning, looking closely, and conversation as a family during this series of special museum gallery program at Olana State Historic Site. Each month, The Olana Partnership educators will lead an exploration of two to three works of art on the second floor galleries through family-friendly dialogue and other hands-on activities.

Designed for families with children ages 3 and up. FREE. Advanced registration required. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Past Programs

Coming of Age in Catskill

In this second installation of the A Closer Look series, visitors observed two canvases painted by Frederic Church while under the guiding influence of his mentor Thomas Cole (1801-1848). They witnessed Church’s promising artistic talent at a young age—both paintings were completed before Church’s 21st birthday.  

Frederic Edwin Church, Twilight Among the Mountains (Catskill Creek), 1845. Oil on canvas. 18 ⅛ x 24 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1981.25.A
Frederic Edwin Church, The Van Vechten House, Catskill, 1847. Oil on canvas. 22 ⅛ x 30 ¼ inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1980.37.A

The Church Family Goes Camping

Frederic Church and the Church family’s love for the landscape and views surrounding Olana was perhaps only matched by their fondness for the forests, lakes, and coasts of Maine. In this third installation of the A Closer Look series, visitors discovered why Church’s paintings of Maine and its landscape and skies make up some of his most important images.

Jervis McEntee, Church’s Camp in Maine, c. 1879. Oil on canvas. 12 ¼ x 17 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1981.43.A
Frederic Edwin Church, Mount Katahdin from Upper Togue Lake, c. 1877-78. Oil on academy board. 8 ⅛ x 20 inches. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site, OL.1981.70.A

Webinars

Expert’s Eye: The Sky and Beyond

With Avis Lang
January 5, 2025

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. This first talk will feature Avis Lang, former senior editor at Natural History magazine and coauthor with Neil deGrasse Tyson, for a conversation on what can be learned from examining Frederic Church’s sky paintings and expanding one’s vision upward.

Expert’s Eye: Landscapes of Power

With Rosanna Flouty
January 25, 2025

Join experts for a series of dialogues on paintings from OLANA’s collection that are worth a closer look. During this program, Dr. Rosanna Flouty will lead a discussion centered on two of Church’s Catskill paintings illuminating dynamics of territorial power.

Expert’s Eye: Church as Forest Ecologist

With Marc Wolf
March 29, 2025

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.