The Thomas Cole Sites Annual Sunday Salons Series Returns for its Nineteenth Year on Sunday, January 30

The Series Presents Timely Conversations on American Art and Landscape with Artists, Writers, Community Members, Scholars, and the Next Generation of Leaders in the Field  

Catskill, NY – January 13, 2022 – The Thomas Cole National Historic Site’s annual “Sunday Salons” series returns for its nineteenth year this Sunday, January 30 at 2 pm live on Zoom. The January and February Salons will stream on Zoom and we hope to host the March and April Salons in person at the historic site in Catskill, New York.  

The series presents timely conversations with inspiring individuals including artists, writers, community members, scholars, and the next generation of leaders in the field. The conversations explore the contemporary resonance of the artist and early environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801-1848). Cole founded the first major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The themes that he explored in his art and writings—such as landscape preservation and our conception of nature as a restorative power—are both historic and timely. 

Sunday, January 30 at 2 pm (Live on Zoom) 

A Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco, a conversation with the artist Marc Swanson, whose work will be featured at both the Thomas Cole Historic Site and at Mass MoCA later this year, with Denise Markonish, Senior Curator and Director of Exhibitions at MASS MoCA, and Kate Menconeri, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, Contemporary Art, and Fellowship at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site 

Join a discussion with the artist and curators about the forthcoming exhibition “Marc Swanson: A Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco.” The exhibition, curated by Denise Markonish, will be presented at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts (Mar 12, 2022-Jan 1, 2023) and at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, New York (Jul 16-Nov 27, 2022).  

Sunday, February 27 at 2 pm (Live on Zoom) 

Object Lessons: Selections from the Thomas Cole Collection, featuring Pippa Biddle and Benjamin Davidson, Contributors to The Magazine Antiques and Founders and Owners of Quittner Antiques in the Hudson Valley 

Join Pippa and Benjamin for a deep dive into collection objects from the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, inspired by their bi-monthly Object Lesson column for The Magazine Antiques.  

Sunday, March 20 at 2 pm (Pending virtual or Catskill) 

Indians in the Landscape: Painting Over Indigenous Sovereignty in the 19th Century, featuring Dr. Scott Manning Stevens, Associate Professor and Director of Native American Studies and Associate Professor of English Department, Syracuse University 

Join Dr. Stevens, a citizen of the Akwesasne Mohawk nation, who holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree from Harvard University. Dr. Stevens is a current fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. His expertise is in Museum Studies, Native American Cultures of the Northeast, Native American Literatures, and Visual Culture.  

Sunday, April 3 at 2 pm (Pending virtual or Catskill)  

Cole Fellows’ Research Presentations, featuring the 2021 Cole Fellows: Isabelle Bohling, Adaeze Dikko, Brooke Krancer and Oriana Tang 

Join Isabelle Bohling, Adaeze Dikko, Brooke Krancer and Oriana Tang as they share their original primary research conducted over the course of their fellowship. Spanning deep dives into the work of Thomas Cole to the history of land protection to previously unknown stories of the people who once lived and worked at the historic property, these presentations will be full of new discoveries and fascinating research that is vital to future site-wide initiatives. 

Information and reservations are available via thomascole.org/events. Reservations may include a suggested donation of $12. Previous Sunday Salons are available to stream at thomascole.org/sundaysalons. 

Support for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site programs and operations provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, The Bay & Paul Foundations, the Enoch Foundation, The Manitou Fund, Humanities New York SHARP Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan, The Educational Foundation of America, The J. M. Kaplan Fund, Tianaderrah Foundation, and the Kindred Spirits Society of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. 

Thomas Cole National Historic Site  

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is an international destination presenting the original home and studios of the artist and early environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801-1848). Cole founded the first major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Located on 6 acres in the Hudson Valley, the site includes the 1815 Main House; Cole’s 1839 Old Studio; the reconstructed 1846 New Studio building; and gardens and grounds with panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains. It is a National Historic Landmark and an affiliated area of the National Park System. The Thomas Cole Site’s activities include guided and self-guided tours, special exhibitions of both 19th-century and contemporary art, print publications, lectures, extensive online programs, school programs, the Cole Fellowship, free community events, and innovative public programs such as the Hudson River School Art Trail—a map and website that enables people to visit the places in nature that Cole painted – and the Hudson River Skywalk – a new scenic walkway connecting the Thomas Cole Site with Frederic Church’s Olana over the Hudson River. The goal of all programs at the Thomas Cole Site is to enable visitors to find meaning and inspiration in Thomas Cole’s life and work. The themes that Cole explored in his art and writings—such as landscape preservation and our conception of nature as a restorative power—are both historic and timely, providing the opportunity to connect to audiences with insights that are highly relevant to their own lives.