Olmsted filmmaker and historian to present program

In celebration of the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, filmmaker Laurence Cotton will give a presentation called “Frederick Law Olmsted: Bringing Nature to the City.” The event will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, 1201 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls.

 Cotton is the originator and consulting producer to the PBS special “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America.”

A press release said he will “do a deep dive into the remarkable life and career of the Renaissance-man Olmsted – writer, philosopher, social reformer, advocate for the preservation of natural scenery, and creator of some of the most beautiful public and private parks, gardens, academic and institutional campuses across in all of North America.”

The presentation will also give a visual tour of representative masterful landscapes designed by Olmsted, as well as select Olmsted landscapes in the Great Lakes states and upstate New York.

Cotton, based in Portland, Oregon, is a practicing public historian, and writer/producer of historical films for PBS, and a trained cultural anthropologist. He has teamed with the tribal populations throughout the Columbia River watershed, and has also worked on open space acquisition and the designs of parks and trails in Pacific Northwest. He brings training as an interpretive naturalist, a birder and photographer.

The presentation is free to attend and is sponsored by Niagara Falls State Park, the NACC and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.