Weir Farm's Final Open Month, and Why This Year Its Painters Are Showing in Wilton Center

Where does a painting of a Weir Farm stone wall go once the paint is dry? Last year it went to Wilton Library in November, after the park had closed its buildings for the winter. This year it arrives on October 5, while the Weir House, the studios and the Burlingham House Visitor Center are still open. For about four weeks, you can see the landscape on Nod Hill Road and the work it inspired on the same weekend.

The work comes from the Weir Farm Artist Collective. It is a different group from the artists-in-residence and from the long line of American painters tied to the property. According to Wilton Library, the Collective was founded in 2023 and is open to artists of every skill level and medium. This October, the farm's artistic tradition is mostly in the hands of people who live nearby.

The Show Moved Up a Month

In 2025, "Weir Inspired" hung at the library from November 7 through December 31, with more than 30 local artists. The 2026 edition, titled Weir Inspired: Works of the Weir Farm Artist Collective, runs October 5 through November 19 during library hours. Thirty-seven artists are exhibiting.

That schedule matters because the park buildings close November 1 and stay closed until April 30. The grounds, trails and parking stay open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Last year the library show was a winter echo of a season that had already ended. This year it overlaps the park's final open weeks, and it stays up for nearly three weeks after they end.

The library lists oil, gouache, acrylic and watercolor painting, plus drawing, printmaking, photography, pastel and mixed media. The roster runs from Linda Bailey and Chris Bedell to Lindsay Close Wallace, Eugene Willingham and Jane Wright Wolf. Most of the works are for sale, and part of the proceeds goes to the library. The free, public opening reception is Friday, October 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Where the Collective Works

The Collective works on a simple monthly rhythm. On the first Thursday of each month, members meet in the Burlingham Barn for a discussion on a set topic. On the third Thursday, they hold a paint-out, making art together on the grounds. Paint-out parking is in the overflow lot near the Weir Barn. The National Park Service schedule shows two dates left this year: an October 15 paint-out on the grounds and a final gathering on November 5.

The library describes the Collective as continuing "the rich tradition of creativity inspired by the Weir Farm National Historical Park landscape." The paint-outs are how that tradition continues in practice.

October on Nod Hill Road

The park's last open month has a full program schedule. None of the programs below requires registration, according to the park's featured-programs page, last updated September 25, 2026. Friends of Weir Farm lists the stone wall tour, the October open studio and Take Part in Art as free.

Ranger-led tours meet at the park sign in front of the Visitor Center. The park cancels special programs when air quality alerts are issued or hazardous weather is forecast. That happened on September 26, when a forecast nor'easter canceled the September open studio. The park said its grounds and buildings stayed open.

The stone wall tour connects the calendar to the library show. The park describes the walls as a source of inspiration for artists who have lived and visited here for over 140 years. Walking the fields on October 10 and then seeing the Collective's work at the library shows the same subject from two angles.

One Artist, Two Venues

The last program of the season ties the two venues together. On Sunday, October 25, art instructor Bobbi Eike Mullen will give informal watercolor and landscape lessons at the park using its Take Part in Art supplies. The supplies are also free to use any time the Visitor Center is open. Mullen is also on the library's list of 37 exhibitors. So the person teaching beginners at the farm on the season's last Sunday also has work hanging in Wilton Center.

The residency follows a different model. The Park Service picked seven artists-in-residence for 2026, each staying a month on site. Robin Dluzen is the October resident. Her website describes a practice built on found and non-art materials that explores family history, place and labor. Her bio lists her as an artist, curator and critic with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. At her October 24 open studio, the Friends of Weir Farm will provide light refreshments and art activities for children.

Friends of Weir Farm also funds much of the residency itself. The group says residents live in a furnished cottage, work in a purpose-built studio and receive a stipend paid by the Friends. The Collective brings in local artists of every level. The residency brings in one visiting artist each month. Both work from the same 140-year-old fields.

Inside the House Before November 1

The Weir House, Weir Studio and Young Studio are open for guided tours Wednesday through Sunday through October. Tours start at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., are first-come, first-served, and take up to 12 people with no reservation. The Burlingham House Visitor Center is open on the same days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free year-round, and no pass is needed. The park is at 735 Nod Hill Road.

The house tour now includes a recent acquisition. In June 2025, Good Morning Wilton reported that Friends of Weir Farm and the park had bought J. Alden Weir's 1904 portrait of his daughter Dorothy at auction. The Friends donated their share of ownership, and the portrait can be seen on a house tour. The Friends also list the Weir Kitchen restoration and the opening of the Weir Barn among the projects they have funded.

The interiors were not open last October. During the 2025 federal shutdown, Good Morning Wilton reported that the visitor center, Weir House, studios and restrooms were closed and ranger tours were paused, though the grounds stayed open. This year, a funding bill signed September 2 keeps federal agencies running through December 11, 2026. That covers the rest of the park's season.

A Saturday That Covers Both

October 17 combines several of these events. The Fall Hike runs from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the park. The first house tour starts at 11. In the afternoon, the Wilton Historical Society holds its Great Wilton PumpkinFest from 1 to 3 p.m., with pumpkin activities, historic demonstrations, cider and donuts. Admission is $5, and members get in free. The library show runs during library hours, so you can see the Collective's work the same day.

After November 1, the park's trails stay open from sunrise to sunset, the Collective holds its final 2026 gathering on November 5, and "Weir Inspired" remains at Wilton Library through Thursday, November 19.

At Jaclyn Picarillo, we follow how a place's artistic history shapes the homes around it, from studio barns to stone walls laid generations ago. If you own or are considering a Wilton property with that kind of provenance, request a confidential portfolio and we will talk about it privately.