Insider Perspective

Mark Prezorski, Landscape Curator There are many reasons why Groundswell happens at Olana, but these reasons may not be obvious to those who don’t know the full story of America’s great landscape artist, Frederic Church. For example, some people mistakenly think that Olana is “just a house museum”, but the reality is that Olana...Read More

Sean E. Sawyer, Washburn & Susan Oberwager President I want to thank the over 300 guests at Olana’s Summer Party: “Icebergs in August” this past Saturday, who joined us for a mid-summer’s evening of sociability in the Hudson Valley focused on celebrating Frederic Church’s quest for aesthetic innovation in contact with the natural world. This...Read More

Valerie A. Balint, Associate Curator “The Great Book of Nature is always open and there are no blank leaves for the artist.” – Frederic Church, 1898 To be at Olana on any given day is to sense Church’s own celebratory voice for all he created here, and to feel it echoed in the contemporary...Read More

Amy Hufnagel, Director of Education “It feels like the artists, both the teachers and the students, are at Olana again.” — Laurie Anderson Moserman, attendee, Deep Air Lecture Series in March As a new addition to The Olana Partnership team last spring, I was charged to extend Olana’s relationships into downtown Hudson and with...Read More

Julia Thomas, Office Manager/Executive Assistant In the words of Pablo Picasso, “Everything you can imagine is real.” Although some may disagree, the certainty of this truth comes to life at Olana. Standing tall for all to see, Olana has instantly become a recognized and admired landmark to a vast amount of people. Although it took...Read More

Evelyn Trebilcock, Curator Chuck Close tapestry One of the photographs that Lynn Davis lent to the exhibition was in her home. We literally took Horseshoe Falls, Ontario, Canada off her living room wall. Her photograph traveled from one artist’s home to another, from one artist arranged interior to another. Like Church, Lynn travels...Read More

Melanie Hasbrook, Development and Marketing Communications Manager How does a historic house in the Hudson Valley share all that it has to offer while keeping its friends interested in what is going on and attracting new visitors? Social media of course. Social media has become such a popular way for individuals and companies to share...Read More

Kimberly Flook, Historic Site Manager, Olana State Historic Site 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the saving of Olana State Historic Site. While I have only been lucky enough to have worked at Olana for the last three years, by looking at what has been accomplished over the last 49 years, I have learned that...Read More

Alex Simon, Director of Membership and Community Relations Frederic Edwin Church? You’ve heard of him, right? American landscape painter, central figure in the Hudson River School. He was the creator of this masterpiece, Olana. And so are you. You restore the main building, preserve the collection, protect the viewshed, you foster educational programs and cultural...Read More

Paul J. Banks, Interpretive Program Assistant People love Olana as much for the landscape as for the house and the treasures inside it. Be it a stroll around The Lake, or the stunning vistas from Ridge Road, or just the sound of the wind in the pines, the out of doors at Olana is...Read More

Rena Zurofsky, Interim President Winter Sunset photo by Julia Thomas, 2014 I have just completed my first two month working, happily, for The Olana Partnership. It has been a time of intense learning, including some surprises. Before working here, I thought Olana (which loosely translates/is interpreted as a “treasure palace”) referred just to...Read More

Mark Prezorski, Landscape Curator After Olana was saved from destruction in 1966, David Huntington — the art historian who led the preservation effort — commented about how ignorant the public had been of Olana. “Olana was not a girl, not an Hawaiian drink, and not a drug,” he joked. At that time, few could...Read More