The Olana Partnership Frederic Church Award Gala

Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), a visionary and renaissance man, is considered one of the greatest 19th century landscape artists in America. In 2000, the centenary of Church’s death, The Olana Partnership established the Frederic Church Award to honor individuals who, through their vision, commitment and grasp of creative trends, make extraordinary contributions to American culture.

Honorees:
JAZZ JOHNSON MERTON served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Olana Partnership from 2004 to 2007. During her tenure, Jazz championed the vision of a fully restored Olana to include Frederic Church’s historic farm complex. She oversaw the design and completion of key, major projects, including the restoration of Church’s Cosy Cottage and the creation of Olana’s Wagon House Education Center, that opened the door to much greater opportunities.

ROSE HARVEY served as NYS Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation from 2011 to 2019 and has led the transformation of Olana. She led the planning process to make accessible and interpret all of Olana’s artist-designed landscape for the public, which resulted in our nationally-recognized Strategic Landscape Design Plan. Thanks to her vision and leadership, major capital projects are now underway across the site and Olana’s public-private partnership is renewed and strengthened to ensure the future of Frederic Church’s Olana.