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Located between the urban centers of New York City and Boston, the city of Meriden, Connecticut, has been an important hub for art and artisans for over a century. The city's rich tradition of innovative design has long been acknowledged as an outstanding contribution to the larger development of American art. Many of America's leading artists have come from or lived in Meriden, including 19th-century sculptor Chauncey B. Ives, early-20th-century painter Ethel Easton Paxson, and, in more recent years, children's book author/ illustrator Tomie dePaola. Meriden's art scene blossomed with an abundance of artistic talent at the beginning of the 20th century. This convergence of artists and designers ultimately led to the creation of an artist colony. In late 1907, the Arts and Crafts Association of Meriden was formed and, to its acclaim, remains the second-oldest continuously active arts organization in the state. Today, Meriden's tradition as a center for art, design, and aesthetics continues.

Weir Farm National Historic Site is Connecticut's first national park and the only one in America dedicated to painting. No other book chronicles the property's rescue from residential development to its establishment as a park. The story is told through the only artistic photographic collection documenting Weir Farm National Historic Site, most of which has never been published before. Weir Farm was the home of Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), a leading innovator of American Impressionism. The farm's landscape inspired countless masterpieces created by Weir, his famous painter-friends, two subsequent generations of artist-owners, and contemporary artists who continue to create at the park. In 2020, this iconic site will be featured on the US quarter.