Anchored in our longstanding commitment to the arts and environmental legacies in the Hudson River Valley, the peak of summer is a perfect time for place-based connections and explorations in local arts and ecology. This July, we are thrilled to work with the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Olana State Historic Site and The Olana Partnership on programming accompanying Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment, a new exhibition exploring the theme of “cross pollination” in art and the environment from the 19th century to the contemporary moment. More information about the exhibition and accompanying programming can be found here.

The next installment of our Non-Fiction Screening Series at the Greenville Drive-In features the award-winning documentary Waste Land, following Vik Muniz, one the artists featured in Cross Pollination. Basilica Hudson will also facilitate a panel discussion with Cross Pollination Artists Rachel Sussman and Sayler/Morris (also co-founders of Toolshed, our program collaborators and creators of the Toolshed Exchange lending library on our campus) on the connections between art, ecology, and climate change. Our third collaboration culminates in Basilica Hudson’s co-founder/director Melissa Auf der Maur leading an Art and Environment tour of the Olana State Historic Site, exploring how the arts impact our landscapes.

Image credit: Lisa Sanditz and Emily Sartor, “Thrilling Tales and Startling Adventures – Unofficial Guide to Pollinators of the Hudson Valley,” 2021, Ink, color pencil, graphite, and gouache on paper, 36 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artists. Created on the occasion of Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment, co-presented at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and Olana State Historic Site.