A Message from Charlie Burlingham
Greetings to all Weir Farm Artists-in-Residence!
And congratulations for winning a place in this distinguished A.I.R. program, a notable achievement. I have a special connection to the park and the program as Julian Alden Weir was my grandfather. He died ten years before I was born, so I never knew him. His three daughters were Caroline, Dorothy and Cora. Cora was my mother, and Dorothy was my aunt. Dorothy lived in the Weir House after Weir died in 1919. When you visit it, note the painted sign above the front door. It says, “Here shall we rest and call content our home.”
To understand Weir himself, listen to Joseph Pearson, a student and friend of Weir’s. He said that Weir never took himself seriously. With his friends he was a “boy amongst boys”. His gift for friendship was extraordinary. What other people did entertained him; what others said delighted him. He had a sure instinct for that which is simple, direct and unaffected. He had an innate appreciation of good things. And Pearson asks, “Has ever an artist of any time been loved so much by his fellow men?” During his lifetime, Weir’s cheerful, passionate and luminous personality flooded every corner of the house. That spirit glows to this day.
We’ll be delighted to greet you, and we trust that your experience in this beautiful, quiet place will be all you had hoped. It promises welcoming warmth, a wealth of culture and a world of friendship. Many thanks for joining our merry band here on Nod Hill Road!
- Charlie Burlingham
And congratulations for winning a place in this distinguished A.I.R. program, a notable achievement. I have a special connection to the park and the program as Julian Alden Weir was my grandfather. He died ten years before I was born, so I never knew him. His three daughters were Caroline, Dorothy and Cora. Cora was my mother, and Dorothy was my aunt. Dorothy lived in the Weir House after Weir died in 1919. When you visit it, note the painted sign above the front door. It says, “Here shall we rest and call content our home.”
To understand Weir himself, listen to Joseph Pearson, a student and friend of Weir’s. He said that Weir never took himself seriously. With his friends he was a “boy amongst boys”. His gift for friendship was extraordinary. What other people did entertained him; what others said delighted him. He had a sure instinct for that which is simple, direct and unaffected. He had an innate appreciation of good things. And Pearson asks, “Has ever an artist of any time been loved so much by his fellow men?” During his lifetime, Weir’s cheerful, passionate and luminous personality flooded every corner of the house. That spirit glows to this day.
We’ll be delighted to greet you, and we trust that your experience in this beautiful, quiet place will be all you had hoped. It promises welcoming warmth, a wealth of culture and a world of friendship. Many thanks for joining our merry band here on Nod Hill Road!
- Charlie Burlingham