This is part three of my three-part series on Frederic Church, on the life and legacies of Church, Thomas Cole, and the Hudson River School. Betsy Jacks spent 21 years as executive director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, New York. Under Betsy's leadership, they restored Cole’s 1839 Old Studio, totally reconstructed Cole’s 1846 New Studio; they restored the interiors in the Main House (I have links below to a two videos on the James Cave Instagram Feed where Betsy walks us through what we're calling 'forensic interior design'). She oversaw the publication of over 30 books, mapped a hiking trail to the places that Cole painted, and opened their new all-season visitor center designed by architect Stephen Shadley. Betsy retired in 2024 to finally give herself time to focus on her own art, and you can see the lineage of the Hudson River School in the ideas she presents, sometimes even reinterpreting the very same trees that Thomas Cole painted. Cole was Church's mentor and teacher, and here we get to know him through Betsy's life and work -- and life after Cole. "Glorious Country" is our first Jiffy Book Club selection. Sign up: https://bookclub.thejiffy.xyz To learn more about Betsy's work, visit: https://www.betsyjacks.com Related links: "Variations on a Theme," a group show in the Gallery at Spencertown Academy: https://spencertownacademy.org/event/variations-on-a-theme/2026-04-10/ Apollo Pursuing Daphne: National Gallery of Art – https://www.nga.gov/educational-resources/greco-roman-origin-myths/apollo-pursuing-daphne "This Old Vibe" featuring Betsy Jacks (Pt. 1): https://www.instagram.com/p/DAElf4HSsFR/ "This Old Vibe" featuring Betsy Jacks (Pt. 2): https://www.instagram.com/p/DAT7JF_S59M/ About the guest: Betsy Jacks is a visual artist and writer who served as Executive Director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, New York, from 2003 to 2024 — a tenure of more than two decades leading one of the Hudson Valley's most important cultural institutions. Before that, she was Director of Marketing at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her paintings have been shown in New York City and across the Hudson Valley, and her writing has appeared in both academic and commercial publications. She holds degrees in Studio Art and Art History from Duke University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family. Subscribe: Get the newsletter at thejiffy.xyz – photos, behind-the-scenes extras, interviews, and a monthly curated list of arts and sciences events across upstate New York. Until next time, I'll see you over on the James Cave Instagram Feed.