During this virtual webinar, Sean Sawyer, President of The Olana Partnership will discuss how Frederic Church engaged with the emerging field of ecology in the 19th century. By following in Alexander von Humboldt’s footsteps in his meteoric rise as the country’s most celebrated landscape painter and then in his four decade-long development of Olana, Church immersed himself in “landscape architecturing” to speak to the history of the land and human impact on it.

Amelia Edwards’ lifelong efforts to preserve Egyptian monuments not only firmly planted her legacy in Egyptian studies but brought Edwards to Olana to stay with Frederic Church. During this webinar, Dr. Peter Lacovara will discuss Edwards’ important efforts as the “Godmother of Egyptology,” including her co-founding of the Egypt Exploration Fund, which continues to set out annual expeditions to excavate, record, and preserve archaeological sites throughout Egypt.

Join Amanda Malmstrom, Associate Curator at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, for this presentation exploring the life, work, and legacy of Emily Cole (1843-1913), a lifelong artist of botanicals and painted porcelain. Emily’s life, art, and personal and professional circles provide a lens not only into American flower painting in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, but a way to examine the social and political implications of women’s work during this period and as presented at historic sites and museums today.

Edward Mitchell Bannister’s career as a successful practicing artist in New England during the late nineteenth century was considered normal. But, as an African American artist living during the 19th century, the level of normalcy Edward Bannister experienced was, in fact, quite exceptional. During this webinar, Rosalyn Delores Elder will explore Bannister’s career and how his laser-focused determination foreshadowed his future success in the midst of exceptional circumstances.

During this program, Sheila Bridges and Richard Saja will discuss the ways the legacy of toile has been altered, homaged, and expanded, moderated by journalist Sabine Rothman. As Sheila Bridges’ prominent toile series incorporates new and unexpected images into a toile motif—such as scenes reflecting Sheila Bridges’ African American heritage or images of Frederic Church painting a cell tower—Saja uses embroidery to create unexpected images out of traditional toile fabric.

Join artist Valerie Hegarty and art historian Alexis L. Boylan for a virtual presentation and discussion about how Hegarty’s recent work connects the past and present, incorporating and interrogating historical narratives from the 19th century and beyond. Hegarty will examine how her 2021 exhibition, Gone Viral, engages with our own contemporary history while drawing from her past work and larger histories.