Olana Partnership

TO INSPIRE THE PUBLIC BY PRESERVING AND INTERPRETING OLANA, FREDERIC CHURCH'S ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE.

EDUCATION / INTERPRETATION: TOP'S EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO A DIVERSE AUDIENCE, SO THAT LOCAL SCHOOLCHILDREN, AREA RESIDENTS, AND NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL VISITORS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULTURAL AND HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF OLANA. IN 2021, OVER 150 PROGRAMS, FIELD TRIPS, WEBINARS, AND EVENTS, SERVED 5163 CHILDREN AND 5700 ADULTS. TOP OFFERED VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR K-12 STUDENTS ACCOMMODATING SCHOOLS IN COLUMBIA AND GREENE COUNTIES AT NO COST DUE TO ADDITIONAL PRIVATE GRANT FUNDS RECEIVED THIS YEAR. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS BEGAN PLANNING IN-PERSON FIELD TRIPS FOLLOWING COVID-19, AND WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ON SITE TRIPS AS WELL. OVER 80% OF THE K-12 STUDENTS SERVED WERE FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN COLUMBIA AND GREENE COUNTIES. TO BUILD ON OFFERINGS FOR ADULTS IN THE COMMUNITY, TOP BEGAN A 3-SEMESTER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WITH COLUMBIA-GREENE COMMUNITY COLLEGE BEGINNING IN FALL OF 2021, SERVING 102 STUDENTS THUS FAR.

COLLECTIONS / EXHIBITIONS: IN 2021, THE OLANA PARTNERSHIP (TOP) SERVED 38,000 PEOPLE THROUGH OUR PUBLIC TOURS (26,000) AND VIRTUAL AND ONSITE EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS (10,863). DUE TO THE CONTINUING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE UNCERTAINTY AROUND TRAVEL AND TOURISM IT PRESENTED, TOP OPERATED PUBLIC TOURS WITH ONLY YEAR-ROUND STAFF AND AT A REDUCED CAPACITY TO MEET NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH GUIDELINES. HOWEVER, A COMPLETE SUITE OF TOURS WAS OFFERED IN THE HISTORIC LANDSCAPE AND OF THE HISTORIC HOUSE AND ITS INTERIORS THROUGH THE FULL CALENDAR YEAR.OLANA (TOP AND NYS PARKS) COLLABORATED WITH THE THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE IN CATSKILL TO PRESENT THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION CROSS POLLINATION: HEADE, COLE, CHURCH AND OUR CONTEMPORARY MOMENT. INSPIRED BY MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE'S 19TH-CENTURY SERIES OF HUMMINGBIRD AND HABITAT PAINTINGS, THE GEMS OF BRAZIL, THE EXHIBITION EXPLORED THE THEME OF CROSS POLLINATION IN ART AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO TODAY. IN ADDITION TO THE WORKS OF HEADE, COLE, AND CHURCH, FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDED EMILY COLE, ISABEL CHARLOTTE CHURCH, RACHEL BERWICK, NICK CAVE, MARK DION, RICHARD ESTES, JUAN FONTANIVE, JEFFREY GIBSON, PAULA HAYES, PATRICK JACOBS, MAYA LIN, FLORA C. MACE, VIK MUNIZ, PORTIA MUNSON, LISA SANDITZ, SAYLER/MORRIS, DANA SHERWOOD, RACHEL SUSSMAN, AND JEFF WHETSTONE. AT OLANA, A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THIS PROJECT WAS THE SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION FALLEN BY JEAN SHIN, WHICH OCCUPIED A PROMINENT OUTDOOR LOCATION ON THE EAST LAWN. ADDITIONALLY, FIVE LARGE-SCALE SILK BANNERS BY THE ARTIST PORTIA MUNSON WERE HUNG ALONG THE CARRIAGE ROADS.

MUSEUM STORE: TOP CONTINUED TO GROW ITS STAFF IN 2021 TO EXPAND ITS CAPACITY TO SERVE THE EXPANDED PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER ITS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH NYS PARKS AND TO PREPARE FOR THE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSION TO BE PROVIDED BY THE FREDERIC CHURCH CENTER. THE NEW EXECUTIVE POSITION OF SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, HR, AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS WAS CREATED AND FILLED IN JUNE, AND THE NEW POSITION OF SENIOR ACCOUNTANT AND HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR WAS CREATED AND FILLED IN DECEMBER REPLACING A 3/5-TIME DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & HR (WHO RETIRED IN DECEMBER), THESE POSITIONS WILL PROVIDE BOTH MORE ROBUST EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND MORE CAPACITY IN THESE AREAS SERVING ALL PROGRAMMATIC STAFF.