In 1993, The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development and the Erpf Catskill Cultural Center merged in order to further increase our opportunities to present and preserve the cultural and environmental traditions of the Catskill Mountain Region.  The Center’s Arts & Culture Program encourages an awareness of the rich cultural history and present artistic endeavors inspired by life in the Catskill Mountain Region. Each year the Erpf Gallery [link] presents exhibits that showcase this interconnection between humans and their landscapes. The Platte Clove Artists in Residence program [link] is located where mountain and valley meet, providing a tranquil and rustic workplace and retreat for artists working in a variety of disciplines.

THE ERPF GALLERY

The creative work presented at our Erpf Gallery preserves and honors traditional ways of life, yet at the same time demonstrates the inspirational role the region continues to play in American art. In presenting a wide range of artists’ ideas about the interrelation between human activities, sensibilities, needs, and all aspects of the natural world, the gallery creates a forum that expresses visually the mission of the different components of the Catskill Center. Each year the Gallery presents exhibits that showcase the interconnection between humans and their landscapes.

THE PLATTE CLOVE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

The Catskill Center also offers the Platte Clove Artists-in-Residence program – the only one in the country situated in the historic area where the first American school of landscape was initiated in 1825 (The Hudson River School of Painting) by Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Thomas Doughty, Frederic Edwin Church and others who searched the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountain Region for untainted wilderness.

The Platte Clove cabin sits where mountain and valley meet, providing a tranquil and rustic workplace and retreat for artists working in a variety of disciplines in the living landscape where American art began. At our Platte Clove Nature Preserve artists can refine their artistry amidst the solitude and grandeur of nature on 208 acres of pristine wilderness with multi-tiered waterfalls (including 60’ tall Plattekill Falls) and old growth forest.  Since its inception, over 130 artists, painters, writers, and composers from across the country have participated in our Artists-in-Residence program – becoming artistic ambassadors for environmental stewardship once returning to their communities.

HISTORIC ARCHIVES

The Catskill Regional Folklife and History Archives are held by The Catskill Center and includes over 250 audio and video archives that span two decades of oral history recordings.  Currently, the recordings are stored on cassette tapes and VHS tapes and consist of written and recorded interviews, slides and photos documenting the Catskill region's folklife and history. The archives were collected by folklorists from 1979-1989 and are available to the public by appointment for use on premises.

If you would like more information about any of these programs, please contact The Catskill Center.