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Thomas Cole Site Announces Essay Contest

Thomas Cole's desk in the Old Studio at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY
WAMC photo by Dave Lucas
Thomas Cole's desk in the Old Studio at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill is seeking entries for its essay contest.

You may be familiar with Thomas Cole’s majestic landscape paintings; the artist was also a prolific writer and published author. The Cole Site's Madeline Conley invites writers of all ages and backgrounds to draw inspiration from Cole’s 1836 Essay on American Scenery, and share their views on how the American landscape is changing today.

Guidelines and Background:

Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was an English-born painter who founded America’s first major art movement, the Hudson River School —a group of artists whose paintings paid homage to American wilderness even as it was being dramatically altered by industrialization. Cole wrote about both his appreciation of but also his worry for the American landscape in an essay called Essay on American Scenery, published in American Monthly Magazine 1 in January 1836. At a time when American natural scenery was commonly thought of as inferior to the beauty of European landscapes, Cole argued that the wilds of America were just as, if not more, beautiful than any other place in the world. Moreover, in the face of mounting industrialization, he pleaded readers to value and preserve its quickly disappearing wilderness.

At the time of his writing, the American landscape was changing rapidly. The advent of railroads, factories, mills, and steamships brought dramatic change to Catskill, New York, where Cole made his home, as well as to much of the Hudson River Valley and later to the United States as a whole. As he observed his beloved town of Catskill and its surrounding environs transformed by industry, Cole wrote, “I cannot but express my sorrow that the beauty of such landscapes is quickly passing away… another generation will behold spots now rife with beauty desecrated by what is called ‘improvement.’”

Today, the American landscape, both physical and cultural, is changing too. We invite writers to reflect on these changes in our ‘Essay on American Scenery’ Contest. Writers may respond, as Cole did, to a changing climate or physical landscape, the changing social and political landscape, or, simply, to changes to their hometowns, neighborhood, block, a single building or natural feature. Essay on American Scenery was a piece of persuasive nonfiction writing, but Thomas Cole, in addition to being an essayist, produced poetry, fiction, and creative work of all kinds in his lifetime. In that spirit, we welcome nonfiction writing, fiction, and poetry in response to this prompt. Standout entries will be selected by a group of judges made up of writers, art historians, poets, and staff from the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Best submissions will be published on our website and the top three essays will be printed in a limited-edition publication.

The prompt

How is the American landscape changing? How do you feel about it? Is there something you see, do, or experience now that you hope will be around for future generations?

Parameters

·         Essays should be between 1,500-5,000 words. Exceptions to word minimum will be made for poetry.

·         Submissions may be nonfiction, fiction, or poetry. While the prompt can be interpreted broadly, essays must address in some way a change to the American landscape (environmental, physical, societal, cultural) and how the author feels about it.

·         Eligibility: Open to all.

Questions? Call Madeline Conley at 518.943.7465 xt 108

Email submissions to: mconley@thomascole.org

Or mail to:

Madeline Conley

c/o Thomas Cole National Historic Site

218 Spring Street

Catskill, NY

12414

About the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Thomas Cole National Historic Site preserves and interprets the home and studios of Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, the nation's first major art movement.  Located on 6 acres in the Hudson Valley, the site includes the 1815 Main House, 1839 Old Studio, the newly reconstructed 1846 New Studio, and several other buildings. It is a National Historic Landmark and an affiliated area of the National Park System. Following a restoration of the Main House, the Cole Site opened to the public in 2001. The site’s activities include guided tours, exhibitions, printed publications, extensive online programs, activities for school groups, free community events, lectures, and innovative public programs such as the Hudson River School Art Trail—a map and website that enables visitors to see the nearby views that Cole painted. Each year, the Cole Site organizes a loan exhibition of Hudson River School paintings, providing a first-hand experience with the art movement that Cole founded. The goal of all programs at the 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. 

Visit the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The hours for Thomas Cole’s home, studios, special exhibitions, and grounds vary by month. For details visit: www.thomascole.org and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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