Weir Farm: Inspiring an Artistic Legacy 

One of America's leading Impressionist painters, J. Alden Weir lived and worked at what is now Weir Farm National Historical Park, 60 acres of painterly woods, fields, and waterways just minutes from New Canaan. Park ranger Kristin Lessard will share Weir’s work and explain why his farm is a national legacy to American Impressionism, the creative spirit, and historic preservation.  

In conjunction with our current gallery exhibition, Impressionism Then and Now: Dmitri Wright and the American Lineage, Lessard will highlight the park’s history, why it became part of the National Park Service, and how contemporary artists like Dmitri Wright use the park as a source of inspiration and creativity. For more information about Weir Farm National Historical Park, please visit www.nps.gov/wefa. 

Kristin Lessard has worked for the National Park Service since 2008, serving in varied professional roles across multiple disciplines including Resource Interpretation, Education, Public Affairs, Project Management, and Youth and Volunteer Engagement. In her current position as Visitor Experience Program Manager at Weir Farm National Historical Park, Kristin oversees the park’s visitor service operations and engagement initiatives, which include history and fine art education programming for approximately 35,000 visitors a year, as well as dynamic youth and volunteer programs.  

Image: Julian Alden Weir. Connecticut Landscape, Branchville, c.1895, Oil on Wood, 10 1/4 x 16 1/4 in. Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY. Museum Purchase, Robert Welsh Memorial Fund and Bequest of Mary Dale.