The exhibition Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment, featured approximately 80 works of art plus photographs and natural history specimens from the artists’ collections. This interdisciplinary project took flight from the influential series of paintings The Gems of Brazil (1863-64) by Martin Johnson Heade, and expands outward to explore pollination in nature and ecology, cultural and artistic influence and exchange, and the interconnection between art and science extending from the nineteenth century to now.

Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment was created by the Thomas Cole National Historical Site, The Olana Partnership at Olana State Historic Site, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Cross Pollination was curated by Kate Menconeri, Curator & Director of Exhibitions and Collections, Thomas Cole National Historic Site; Julia B. Rosenbaum, Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Culture, Bard College; former Director of Research and Publications, The Olana Partnership; William L. Coleman, Director of Collections & Exhibitions, The Olana Partnership; and Mindy N. Besaw, Curator, American Art & Director of Fellowships and Research, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Its tour was organized by Crystal Bridges.