All Over Albany

Frederic Church's Olana on WMHT

A new documentary about the Olana State Historic Site in Hudson -- the home and studio of the great Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church -- premieres tonight on WMHT at 7:30 pm. Blurbage:

Olana, located high on a hill overlooking the majestic Catskill Mountains and scenic Hudson River, is the great masterpiece of American landscape painter, Frederic Edwin Church. Church was born in 1826 and went on to become the most successful representative of America's first art movement, the Hudson River School. Church designed the picturesque landscape, network of carriage roads, farm complex and Persian inspired villa that comprise the 250 acre estate of Olana. Church traveled the globe painting the natural environment and amassing an extensive collection of paintings and decorative art from around the world. The documentary recounts the dramatic rescue of a national treasure that was nearly destroyed by disbursement in the mid-1960s and how the location of the home and Church's paintings of the surrounding have played a role in preserving the view shed of the Hudson River Valley.

Just based on the trailer embedded above, it looks like the doc includes some beautiful scenes.

Frederic Church's Olana is set to run again on WMHT four other times June. Check out the schedule at the second link above.

SPAC
Also on WMHT this week: A new documentary about the Saratoga Performing Arts Center -- SPAC at 50 -- premieres this Thursday at 7:30 pm and 9 pm. The doc covers the venue's history and some of the acts that performed there, with appearances from performers such as Dave Matthews and Joshua Bell.