Exhibitions

Thomas Cole's "Sketch" Paintings: An Exploration of the Creative Process

The 2008 exhibition opens on Sunday May 4th featuring a selection of oil sketches. The sketch paintings are relatively quick studies in oil, either completed outdoors in front of a view or in the studio to work out a composition or detail, providing a fascinating window onto the artist's thoughts. Many of the objects are coming from private collections and therefore have rarely been seen by the public. The exhibition also includes Cole's original paint brushes and palettes still covered with paint, as well as examples of oil sketches by his contemporaries of the Hudson River School including Sanford Gifford and Frederic Church. After opening day, the exhibition will be included on the guided tour of the historic site. The exhibition is part of a larger project to explore Thomas Cole's creative process through a site-wide interpretive exhibition that is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.		Thomas Cole, Indians Viewing Landscape, 1827. Private Collection
The exhibition is made possible with public funds from the Greene County Legislature through the Greene County Cultural Fund, administered in Greene County by the Greene County Council on the Arts; The New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; The Bank of Greene County Charitable Foundation; the Bender Family Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Programs and Events

Opening Day Events

National Trails Day Celebration

Thomas Cole wrote to fellow artist Asher B. Durand, "Nature may not cure, but she will soothe." The idea that nature can provide spiritual renewal is a sentiment that remains in our collective American conscience, and in celebration of National Trails Day, The Thomas Cole Site presents a symposium exploring views on the past, present and future of the therapeutic aspect of nature on human beings.

John F. Sears, Ph.D., Independent Scholar, cultural historian and author of the groundbreaking work Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century, will reveal the origins of the "escape to nature" movement in the early nineteenth century, and the role played by Thomas Cole and the Catskills, in particular. Harvey K. Flad, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Geography at Vassar College and 2003 Russell Wright Award winner for Environmentalism, will explore how the nineteenth century's love of nature grew into the twentieth century's efforts to preserve the environment. Finally, Nancy Wells, Ph.D., Environmental Psychologist at Cornell University's College of Human Ecology, will offer insights into how scientific research in the 21st century provides evidence that documents the beneficial effects of nature on health and well-being, demonstrating the accuracy of beliefs Cole articulated back in 1836.

Tickets are $15, or $12 for members, which includes a free viewing from 12 to 1 pm of the current exhibition in the Main House. Symposium tickets are first-come-first-served and can only be purchased on the day of the program in person at the Thomas Cole Historic Site visitor center when it opens at 10 am or at the door of the event venue, Temple Israel, starting at 12 noon.

INFORMATION OPEN HOUSE FOR PROSPECTIVE DOCENTS

Inspired by the beauty of the Catskills? Like interacting with people? Cedar Grove is currently seeking volunteer docents to conduct tours of the house and studio during the 2008 season. Cedar Grove docents impart meaningful information about the life, relationships and works of the 19th-century artist Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School approach to painting. Educational enrichment for new docents begins in June.

On June 8 at 3:30 pm, following the National Trails Day Symposium event, there will be an open house for prospective docents. Gregory Rosenthal, Education Coordinator at Cedar Grove, will explain Cedar Grove’s docent program and will take prospective docents on a special tour of the house and grounds. For more information on this June 8th Informational Open House for prospective docents, please contact Gregory Rosenthal at 518-943-7465 ext. 2 or education@thomascole.org. Reservations are required.