By Paul Banks, Interpretive Program Assistant

There is no greater insider at Olana than Frederic Church himself. The collection at Olana contains not only a great number of his works of art, but a great number of works from his pen as well. We have letters, journals, diaries, cancelled checks and ledgers all in Church’s hand. One of these was donated to Olana by Maria Burroughs Livingston, a descendent of Church, and it’s quite special as it is the diary he kept as he journeyed to Petra in the Middle East. On February 24th and 25th 1868 Frederic Church and his …Read More

Mark Prezorski, Senior Vice President & Creative Director, The Olana Partnership

Every summer at Olana, things turn more yellow. In June, the park-like meadow between Olana’s upper main house and the lake below comes alive with yellow coreopsis flowers. This summer, things were more yellow than usual at Olana. Penetrable by Jesús Rafael Soto (1923 – 2005) hovered like a mirage in Frederic Church’s landscape, part of a larger exhibition titled OVERLOOK: Teresita Fernández Confronts Frederic Church at Olana, a collaboration with the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.  Visitors are encouraged to move within Soto’s interactive sculpture, similar to the …Read More

by Mark Prezorski, Senior Vice President & Creative Director

In October 2017, Laurie Olin received the Frederic Church award. This was the first time a landscape architect had accepted this award, and The Olana Partnership was honored to highlight Laurie Olin’s vast accomplishments in the world of landscape architecture and the design of public parks. Similar to Frederic Church, Laurie Olin is an artist who also views landscapes through a civic lens. Laurie Olin is a Guggenheim Fellow, an American Academy of Rome Fellow, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), …Read More

In October 2017, Dr. Linda S. Ferber received the Frederic Church Award for her significant contribution to the world of American art. The Olana Partnership was honored to highlight Dr. Ferber’s vast accomplishments over several decades. Dr. Ferber is Senior Art Historian and Museum Director Emerita at the New-York Historical Society. From 2005 until the end of 2013, she served as Vice President and Museum Director at NYHS. Prior to that, she was the Andrew Mellon Curator of American Art at The Brooklyn Museum (now Emerita), where she was also Chief Curator.

Alice Walton, Dr. Barbara Novak, Dr. Louise Mirrer, Barry …Read More

Written by A. Hufnagel, Director of Education

The Olana Partnership’s Education Department spent January and February in research, planning, partner building, fundraising, reading, and training mode. We also use the winter months to review and evaluate last year’s programs, our systems that support the public events, and resources and staff capacity. What emerges from looking backward and forward at the same time is that we try to create better systems of working while also launching new ideas and programs. The result is an even stronger weave of shared purpose and, in turn, honed …Read More

Holly Kelly, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator, The Olana Partnership

Imagine Olana without volunteers. If you tried to book a tour, you would find far fewer options- over 4,000 people would be disappointed this year and unable to view the inside of the main house and collections. Imagine Olana in the past without volunteers. Who would have saved Olana over 50 years ago without the dedication of the volunteer advocates who rallied the community, journalists, and politicians? Who would have tirelessly raised funds, given tours, and thrown events to secure Olana’s future? Who would have …Read More

Photo: © bSchneck

By Sean Sawyer, Washburn and Susan Oberwager President, The Olana Partnership

As you ponder the impact that your charitable giving can have this season, I hope you will consider making an end-of-year gift to The Olana Partnership. Individual donations, including Annual Fund and membership, make up 15% of our $1.5 million annual operating budget, and if you include our Summer Party and Church Award Gala this rises to 49%. We are offering a variety of ways to support Olana this season, including “Get One, Gift One” two-for-one membership days, “Member Double …Read More

Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros & Olana in dialogue in the exhibition OVERLOOK
By Dr. Katherine Manthorne, Professor of Art History, Graduate Center, City University of New York

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By Sean E. Sawyer, Ph.D., Washburn and Susan Oberwager President

From May through October this year Olana will witness a confrontation between two of our country’s most prominent artists; one, Frederic Church, who achieved fame 150 years ago, and another, Teresita Fernández, who is reaching it today.

This has come about through a collaboration between The Olana Partnership and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, one of the world’s most important collections of Latin American art. Together, we have invited Fernández to respond to Church’s artistic legacy by drawing upon the Cisneros’ collections, as well as our own, to create new work. …Read More