Explore Weir Farm: A National Park for Art

April 14, 2024

woman painting at an easel in a field

Most people are familiar with the popular National parks, but have you heard of Weir Farm? It’s a national park just for art. The National Park Service manages more than 400 sites dedicated to history, people, and events and this one isn’t to be missed.

park sign with a swipe of blue paint across the bottom and a paint brush on the side
National park sign. Photo by Rene Cizio

Weir National Park in Connecticut is the only national park for art dedicated to American Impressionism. It was once the home of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir. I visited the park during my two-year road trip as a nomad.

The Weir Farm National Historic Site includes 71 landscaped acres filled with the Weir home, other houses, barns, and the art studio. The beauty includes historic flower beds, stone walls and old-growth trees making it easy to see why Weir called this the “Great Good Place.”

house and field
Photo by Rene Cizio

It’s the only national park for art where you can explore art showcases and expect to see artists outside painting en plein air (in the open air).

If Weir Farm sounds familiar, it should. In 2020, the United States Mint created the Weir Farm National Historic Site Quarter as one of the America the Beautiful Quarters. It pictures a painter at an easel on the historic farm.

Quarter with an image of a male painter at an easel in front of a house surrounded by trees
Weir Farm Quarter

Who Was J. Alden Weir?

Julian Alden Weir was born in 1852 in New York and followed in the footsteps of his father and brothers, each successful painters.

interior Weir Farm fireplace and paintings on the wall
Interior Visitor’s Center. Photo by Rene Cizio

Weir acquired most of the land for Weir Farm in a business trade and lived there for most of his life. He hosted many famous painters, including John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, and others, to form “The Ten,” a like-minded artist group who often painted at the farm.

A recreaation of a en plein air paiting set up with an easel and umbrella, plaints
Weir’s easel at the Visitor’s Center. Photo by Rene Cizio

In 1915, Weir was President of the National Academy of Design and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Board of Directors. In 1916, Weir was appointed to the National Commission on Fine Arts as a “Painter Member” and received honorary degrees from Princeton and Yale.

Weir Farm Gardens and Grounds

Today, Weir Farm National Historical Park preserves the home and landscape as they were when Weir lived there. The classic New England property is on rural land along a series of winding and wooded roads. It’s filled with old moss-covered stone walls, red barns, farmhouses and secret gardens. There are also lovely open meadows, woodlands and a lake.

rustic wood gate to the secret garden
Secret Garden entrance. Photo by Rene Cizio

Of the 238 acres once owned by Julian Alden Weir, the National Park Service managed 71 and has restored them to their intended glory. Highlights include:

  • Secret Garden with hand-hewn log fencing and an ornate fountain surrounded by heavenly-smelling white flowering bushes.
  • Sunken Garden with structured hedges.
  • Terraced Garden made in steps. Each showcases picturesque flowers and plants as intended when they were first conceived.
Sunken garden surrounded by a brick wall
Sunken Garden. Photo by Rene Cizio

Through a wooded trail, past an old cemetery crisscrossed by a stone wall, sits Weir Pond and an additional 110 acres of adjacent fields and woodlands. The Weir Preserve includes several hikes among green ferns, wooden bridges old growth Oak, Ash and Maple trees.

What to Do at a National Park for Art

Aside from walking around the lovely gardens and grounds, there are many opportunities to enjoy or create art.

Weir Barn with brown shingle and a white roses growing up the side
Weir Barn. Photo by Rene Cizio

In the Burlingham House Visitor Center, curators have designed three artwork rooms and artifacts with information about the family and artists who worked there. There are several displays throughout the park, and if you follow the painting sites guide, you can go from site to site to walk in the footsteps of these artists.

The Weir House, Weir Studio, and Young Studio showcase original art from Weir and other artists. These displays also include details and information about the people who lived and painted on the property, a tradition that continues today.

Creating Art at Weir Farm

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to paint outside or “en plein air,” you’re in luck. The Weir National Historic Park for Art encourages visitors to bring their paint supplies and let the site inspire them. If you arrive during the summer season, the park service will provide free-to-use art supplies from the visitor center.

man painting at an easel next to a red barn
Man painting at Weir Farm. Photo by Rene Cizio

Painters have been reimagining the beauty of the farm since 1882, and keeping the tradition alive is a park mission. In addition to inviting visitors to paint, the National Park for Art also hosts a variety of classes and guided tours.

Paint En Plein Air

I was lucky to book an en plein air painting session.  The park offers a free class a few times yearly; about a dozen people can attend each session.

woman painting at an easel in a field
Woman painting. Photo by Rene Cizio

The teacher encouraged us to let the environment draw our senses forth and to use touch and smell to create “impressions” from the environment.

“To be an artist is to be in search of what is good, beautiful, and true in life while consenting to one’s natural ability with joy and gratitude in order to share it with others.”

Dmitri Wright

The park provided sketch paper and watercolor in a bag with brushes and pencils. Since I had already scouted the park, I knew I wanted to paint the Secret Garden.

Inspiration Abounds in the National Park for Art

By mid-day, several people with easels and chairs set up around the park, painting the various gardens, buildings and landscapes. Some are very professional, and others, like me, are more amateur. Regardless, artists walked around admiring the work and helping each other with technique and process.

A woman sits on the grass with her ankles crossed and the corner of painting seen on her lap
Rene painting at Weir Farm.

Another painter in Dmitri’s class was near me. He used oil and painted trees behind a field and a rock outcropping, but he wasn’t getting the desired effect. The teacher saw more in the painting. He encouraged him to step back several feet to allow the painting to make a different impression. From that vantage, it was clear he had painted a true impression.

Brown shingle barn with a short wood fence in the foreground with gladiolas
Weir Barn. Photo by Rene Cizio

The man later said it was a breakthrough moment to step back from his work and see it differently. Everyone left with a different “impression” of impressionist painting.

“For an Impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations.”

Paul Cezanne

If you Visit Weir Farm National Historical Park

The summer is the best time to visit the park for gardens, but check the website before you go.

Red house with white porch and five small square windows on the second floor
Photo by Rene Cizio

If you’re interested in art in other national parks, also check out the National Parks Art Foundation. They regularly host paid artist residencies at select national parks.

This national park for art is open daily, sunrise to sunset, year-round. Find it at 735 Nod Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897.


Read more stories about Connecticut here.

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More about Rene Cizio

Rene Cizio is a solo female traveler, writer, author and photographer. Find her on Instagram @renecizio

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