LongHouse Reserve hosted a special Larsen Salon in New York celebrating the bicentennial of American landscape painter Frederic Church, featuring a conversation with Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Victoria Johnson about her new biography, Glorious Country. Hosted by LongHouse Board Member Michael Jones at the offices of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the event explored Church’s artistic legacy, his extraordinary travels, and the enduring relationship between art, architecture, and nature.
Victoria Johnson Explores the Life and Legacy of Frederic Church
A leading figure of the 19th-century American landscape painting movement, Frederic Church traveled extensively, from the Arctic to the Middle East, drawing inspiration from the natural wonders and distant cultures he encountered. His monumental paintings introduced American audiences to spectacular landscapes and conveyed the awe-inspiring power of the natural world.
Johnson, a professor at Hunter College and author of American Eden, spent six years researching Church’s life and retracing his journeys for Glorious Country. Her firsthand experiences traveling in Church’s footsteps across the Andes offered new insights into the artist’s remarkable vision and determination.
“I climbed Andean volcanoes in his footsteps, and his stamina and courage amazed me as I traveled under far more comfortable conditions than those he endured,” Johnson shared.
During one expedition, she encountered a lightning storm at high altitude, an experience that deepened her understanding of Church’s relationship with nature.
“One can feel most physically and spiritually alive when faced with nature’s titanic scale and power. And that is what Church put into his paintings,” Johnson explained.
She also reflected on the motivations behind Church’s art and his creation of Olana, his extraordinary home overlooking the Hudson River. Both his paintings and architectural masterpiece represent important dimensions of America’s complex cultural and artistic history.
Victoria Johnson
LongHouse Reserve and Frederic Church : A Shared Creative Vision
The discussion highlighted the connections between Church’s Olana and LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, two distinctive environments that unite art, architecture, landscape, and international influences.
“Olana, his home on the Hudson, and Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse in East Hampton, while they originate roughly 100 years apart, share a DNA,” said Esperanza Leon, Director of Education and Community Engagement at LongHouse.
“Both are total works of art created by American creative visionaries who have integrated art, architecture, landscape, and global cultures into their personal living spaces.”
The comparison underscored how visionary artists can transform their homes and surroundings into immersive expressions of their creative philosophies.
The Larsen Salon Series Continues Jack Lenor Larsen’s Legacy
The Larsen Salon Series reflects the vision of Jack Lenor Larsen, the renowned textile designer, artist, and founder of LongHouse Reserve. Created to make art accessible to broader audiences, the series encourages meaningful engagement with art, architecture, and design through conversations and cultural programming.
Peter Olsen, Jack Lenor Larsen’s partner and a LongHouse Board Member, welcomed guests to the gathering. The LongHouse community is also looking forward to celebrating Larsen’s 100th birthday in 2027, honoring his lasting contributions to contemporary design, craftsmanship, and the arts.
Upcoming Events at LongHouse Reserve
Beyond its salons and exhibitions, LongHouse Reserve continues to offer seasonal experiences that bring together art, horticulture, nature, and community.
Upcoming programming includes Canines in Costume, a Halloween celebration for dogs and their owners; a wreath-making workshop led by Director of Horticulture Shelby Miller; Beneath the Surface, a root-pruning demonstration focused on the care and conservation of mature trees and shrubs; and LongHouse Illuminated, an evening experience featuring seasonal lighting throughout the sculpture garden.
These programs reflect the organization’s ongoing commitment to connecting visitors with the natural environment while encouraging creativity, learning, and cultural exploration.
Discover LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton
Located in East Hampton, New York, LongHouse Reserve is a 16-acre integrated environment created by artist, collector, and textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen. Open to the public, the sculpture garden features more than 60 outdoor works and offers a diverse calendar of exhibitions, educational programs, and activities focused on art, nature, and wellness.
Larsen envisioned LongHouse as a living case study in creative approaches to contemporary life, believing that experiencing art within everyday environments could inspire new ways of thinking and learning. Inspired by the seventh-century Shinto shrine at Ise, Japan, he designed his residence in collaboration with architect Charles Forberg.
Today, LongHouse Reserve continues to preserve Larsen’s legacy through its gardens, exhibitions, educational initiatives, and plans to activate his home and showcase its extensive collections of craft and design.
The Larsen Salon celebrating Frederic Church’s bicentennial demonstrated how art and architecture can transcend generations. For this reason they connect the achievements of historic American visionaries with contemporary cultural experiences.
PHOTOS By Brooke Singer