Wild Land: Thomas Cole and the Birth of American Landscape Painting explores the world of Thomas Cole, an English immigrant painter who revolutionized American landscape painting. Take a walk “into the woods” and step inside the artist’s studio to discover how Cole’s ideas on the natural world shaped our national landscape.
Through large-scale banner graphics, immersive environments and other interactive elements, the exhibit traces Thomas Cole’s transformation from an itinerant portrait artist to the founder of the Hudson River School. Discover how Cole transformed nature sketches into a new vision of wilderness, and how the meaning of nature itself has changed over time. Contemplate the importance of preservation and how to live in balance with natural resources.
This exhibition has been made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has been adapted and is being toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance. Wild Land: Thomas Cole and the Birth of American Landscape Painting was organized by The Thomas Cole National Historic Site/Cedar Grove, Catskill, New York.
MAAA
NEH on the Road
National Endowment for the Humanities