Thomas Cole National Historic Site to Receive Grant Award from the National Endowment for the Arts to Support New Exhibition Women Reframe American Landscape

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Commends the Thomas Cole Site   

Catskill, NY – January 19, 2023 – The Thomas Cole National Historic Site announced today it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000. This grant will support the new special exhibition “Women Reframe American Landscape.” The groundbreaking project will open at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY, where it will be on view from May 6 to October 29, 2023, and travel to the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants. 

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “Projects such as this one with the Thomas Cole National Historic Site strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.” 

“I have visited the gem that is the Thomas Cole National Historic Site many times, and I am always pleased to learn about the new stories Betsy Jacks and her team uncover,” said Senator Schumer. “This federal funding will support a new exhibition to reinsert 19th-century female artists like Susie Barstow into the rich history of the Hudson River School and explore the works of contemporary female American landscape artists. I am proud to deliver this funding that will bolster the unique and educational programming at Thomas Cole Site, that continues to capture the fascination of visitors to the Catskills year-round.” 

“This prestigious recognition and critical financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts brings our exhibition ‘Women Reframe American Landscape’ to even broader audiences,” said Betsy Jacks, Executive Director of the Thomas Cole Site. “The prevailing narrative of the art movement that Thomas Cole founded, now known as the Hudson River School, represents only a portion of our cultural heritage. This project will reclaim the accomplishments of women that exhibited and hiked mountains in the 19th century, featuring the highly accomplished artist Susie Barstow (1836-1923). Visitors will see extraordinary historic landscape paintings by women artists and mind-opening installations by contemporary artists, presenting new approaches to land and art today. We are tremendously grateful to Senate Majority Leader Schumer for his continued support and encouragement, which has a big impact on what we can do for our community.”  

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. 

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 early 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 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 enable people to visit the places in nature that Cole painted—and the Hudson River Skywalk, a 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 the full historic context of Thomas Cole’s art and ideas. The themes that Cole explored in his art and writings—such as landscape preservation—are both historic and timely, providing the opportunity to connect to audiences with insights that are highly relevant to their own lives. 

Visitor Information 

Visit thomascole.org/visit for information on ticketed Sunday Tours and by appointment Private Tours. The grounds are open every day for free from dawn to dusk. Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @thomascolesite.