The Mather Homestead offers many opportunities for sponsorship. We are appreciative of your support and look forward to promoting your business! Sponsor payment may be made via check payable to "The Mather Homestead Foundation" or by credit card (link right). Please send checks to: The Mather Homestead Foundation, 19 Stephen Mather Road, Darien, CT, 06820 SUPPORT THE MATHER HOMESTEAD BY SPONSORING ONE OF OUR EVENTS! The Mather Homestead Foundation offers many opportunities for sponsorship and appreciates the support of our businesses who have contributed with financial and in kind donations. Donors are recognized in various ways - through our events, social media and publicity, and signage at the Homestead. SPONSOR OPPORTUNITY FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL 2024 Our sixth annual Fall Harvest Festival on October 26th will feature fun for the entire family including hay rides, pony rides, face painting, the red fire truck, crafts, games and this year … a visit from George Washington! Funds raised will support restoration projects at the Mather Homestead. In the past, over 500 people have attended the event over three hours. These include families with young children from Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and surrounding towns. We are also looking for in-kind donations to our raffle and food for the event, e.g., donuts, cider, apples, and more. In-kind donors will be recognized at check in. Sponsorship offers a great marketing opportunity with the 500+ attendees! We are seeking financial sponsors for our various activities and look forward to recognizing businesses through the following: Lead sponsor $5,000: Branded Logo Banner (3' x 8') on Brookside/Stephen Mather Roads intersection for weeks leading up to event Lawn signs throughout town with brand logo Table and presence at event check-in. Product display. Other benefits below - signage at event, logo on website and event communications, recognition in 'boosted" social media, PR through local magazines and papers, email promotion to 2,000+ list. George Washington/Ponies sponsors $2,500: Prominent table and presence at event with product display. Other benefits below - signage at event, logo on website and event communications, recognition in 'boosted" social media, PR through local magazines and papers, email promotion Storytime/Hayride sponsors $1,000: Presence at event with product display. Signage at the event (e.g., “hay ride sponsored by …”) Logo prominently displayed on website and event communications according to giving level Recognition in “boosted” social media - instagram and facebook Thank you recognition in MH email to 2,000+ list. PR through magazines (e.g., Bedford New Canaan Magazine), local newspapers, Darien patch and others. Face Painting/Crafts in the Barn/Candy Land/Firetruck sponsors $500: Signage at the event (e.g., “face painting sponsored by …”) Logo prominently displayed on website and event communications according to giving level Recognition in “boosted” social media - instagram and facebook Thank you recognition in MH email to 2,000+ list. Note: firetruck sponsor - we will make donation directly to the Noroton Fire Department Pumpkin patch/Apple Bobbing/Colonial Photo "Booth" sponsors $250: Signage at the event (e.g., “pumpkin patch sponsored by …”) Logo prominently displayed on website and event communications according to giving level Recognition in “boosted” social media - instagram and facebook In-kind donations We are also looking for in-kind donations to our raffle and food for the event, e.g., donuts, cider, apples, and more. In-kind donors will be recognized at check in. SPONSOR PAYMENT via CC THANK YOU TO OUR PAST SPONSORS! JUNIOR BOARD SUMMER SOLSTICE 2024 The Junior Board welcomed 140 guests for cocktails on the patio followed by dinner in the field prepared by Ardens. A magical night! GARDEN TEA 2024 The May 30, 2024 Garden Tea welcomed 150 women for tea, lunch and a conversation with Pieter Estersohn, author of Back to the Land , and local book PR guru Nancy Sheed. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL 2023 Our fifth annual Fall Harvest Festival welcomed families (~500 people) from Darien, New Canaan and surrounding towns to the Homestead for good old fashioned fun including a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, face painting, crafts, fire truck rides and more! GARDEN TEA 2023 The June 1, 2023 Garden Tea welcomed over 130 women for tea, lunch and a presentation by Calvert Crary of NY/LA Flower School. APRÈS SKI 2023 Our second annual Après Ski event welcomed nearly 150 people for fun and fundraising. PLAYHOUSE RENOVATION PROJECT 2023 Our historic playhouse was enjoyed by generations of Mathers but was sadly in disrepair. Thanks to Dan Lamontagne of Creative Builders, Rings End and many other donors, the playhouse has been restored future generations of children who will come to learn and play. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL - OCTOBER 22, 2022 We appreciate the financial support of Harbor Point Dental Group at our fourth Fall Harvest Festival. We also appreciate our in kind sponsors including Palmers Market , Stop & Shop , Stew Leonards and Cabana . Over 600 people from Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and other surrounding towns joined us for hay rides, a petting zoo, crafts, face painting, games, tours of the Homestead, pumpkin decorating, live music and more! To inquire about 2023, please email info@matherhomestead.org or call 203-202-7602. Thank you! STEPHEN MATHER AND THE NATIONAL PARKS EXHIBIT Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 Our first exhibit welcomed hundreds of people to learn more about the life and legacy of Stephen Tyng Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service and owner of the Mather Homestead from 1906 to 1930. BUILDINGS & GROUNDS! Many thanks to the businesses who provide services pro bono in order to maintain the beautiful Mather Homestead buildings & grounds: Bartlett T ree Davis Tree & Logging . SPONSORSHIP PAYMENT - THANK YOU! Sponsor payment may be made via check payable to "The Mather Homestead Foundation" or by credit card (link right). Please send checks to: The Mather Homestead Foundation 19 Stephen Mather Road Darien, CT. 06820 An acknowledgement form will be mailed to Thank you!

SUMMER SOIRÉE Saturday, May 31, 2025 Photos by Andrea Ceraso Thank you to our Sponsors! SUMMER SOLSTICE Saturday, June 22, 2024 Presented by t he Mather Homestead Junior Board: Alison Arneill l Tasha Blair l Taylor Carlson l Lauren Frank l Caitlin Griswold l Sarah Guilbride Sally Houlihan l Anna Janis l Stephanie Kramer l Paige Kyle l Sarah Henderson l Jessica Merrill Kate Piselli l Lauren Swenson l Stephanie Tucker 2023 Après Ski Thank you for helping us raise $17K for our historic Playhouse! Presented by the Mather Homestead Junior Board: Alison Arneill l Tasha Blair l Taylor Carlson l Lauren Frank l Caitlin Griswold Sarah Guilbride l Sally Houlihan l Anna Janis l Stephanie Kramer l Paige Kyle Sarah Henderson l Jessica M errill l Kate Piselli l Whitney Ranson l Lauren Swenson The historic Mather playhouse was enjoyed by generations of Mathers and is now in disrepair. Our goal is to renovate the playhouse to be the cornerstone for future generations of children to come for learning and play. Heading 4 Before After

Our lectures explore a variety of topics and a variety of formats. Some of our lectures are traditional lecture format, while others involve a bit of hands on learning (e.g., honey tasting). All Mather Homestead lectures, past and future, are listed here. LECTURES Our lectures explore a variety of topics and a variety of formats. Some of our lectures are traditional lecture format, while others involve a bit of hands on learning (e.g., honey tasting). We are eager to hear ideas you might have for lectures that would be a good fit with the Mather Homestead. Email us ! UPCOMING EVENTS Our National Parks: Past, Present, and Future Panel Discussion Nov 19, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Join us for a discussion with Tiernan Sittenfeld, President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. Discuss the past, present, and future of park conservation and discover how each of us can help support and strengthen these places for generations to come. Refreshments included. Buy Tickets Past Lectures

We welcome the help of volunteers who can help with the following: Tours, Fall & Spring Clean Ups, Gardening, Research, Scholar Lectures, VOLUNTEER! The Foundation is grateful to the many volunteers contribute their time and energy to the Mather Homestead. We welcome the help of volunteers and offer many ways to get involved - join us as a docent, help us preserve and manage our collections, lend us your green thumb, plan events with us ... and more! Thank you to our volunteers! Board Members Other Volunteers Docent/Tour guides – available for public tours. Please contact us at info@matherhomestead.org to join the team!Lead Docent/Archivist Donn Smith has single handedly organized and documented the collection, starting with bringing documents from attic, reading through materials, blogging, organizing into folders/boxes and creating system. Gardener Andy Huntington has restored and maintained the historic gardens. We are always looking for additional help with our gardens! Darien Scouts (groups offering hours to clean or prepare an area that will be used for recreation. – fall clean up, eagle scout projects. We welcome scout help! Darien Garden Club or local nature group offering to help with planting of a garden and/or removal of invasive species.– installed foundation plantings for barn. High School Spring Interns – help with Garden Tea, Lunch Bunch with the Interns, act as docents for fifth grade tours. See application below. National Charity League, Canaan Parish - hands on mother/daughter helpers. Summer Interns – various projects. Other Event Support - contact us to help us with our events! Email info@matherhomestead.org to get involved! HIGH SCHOOL INTERN PROGRAM The Mather Homestead Foundation's intern program is open to students from Darien and New Canaan High Schools. Internship Overview MH Description : The Mather Homestead, a historic home and museum in Darien, CT, is rich with history and alive with activities and events which promote public education and enjoyment. The Mather Homestead Senior Internship Program offers high school students with an interest in history and/or national parks/conservation an opportunity to both contribute to and learn from the Mather Homestead, including its rich collection of original documents and antiques. The mission of the Mather Homestead: to preserve the Mather Homestead as a treasured place for public education and enjoyment, and to raise awareness of the home’s unique history, dating back to the Revolutionary War, and Stephen Tyng Mather’s legacy as an important conservationist and the founder of our modern National Parks System. Intern Qualifications : Must be proactive, responsive, dependable and punctual, enthusiastic about our organization. Other skills. We look forward to benefitting from your other skills as you design and execute a special project. Internship Overview : Interns will learn to be docents/tour guides of the Mather Homestead. Will conduct a tour for family/friends and will help with Darien’s 5th grade tours. Interns will help with various Mather Homestead events including the June Garden Tea. Interns will represent the Mather Homestead in local Memorial Day Parade. Interns will execute one week “lunch bunch” for preschoolers, helping to “bring history to life” for local kids Gardening – get hands dirty in the garden! Field trip – interns will travel to one or more local historic homes. Will formulate recommendations for the Mather Homestead Foundation based on their experience. Project – each intern will formulate their own project, fitting with their skills and interests and the needs of the Mather Homestead Foundation. Timing : Days consistent with Darien/New Canaan internship program (Darien: May 15 to June 9) 9 am to 3 pm Some other hours required but will give time off during the regular day for extra hours worked! THANK YOU TO OUR INTERNS! Summer College Intern Sophye Davey, High School Interns Snahasish Datta and Sarah Frank, Museum Assistant Emma Grayeb (left to right) High School 2024 interns: Elly Patterson (New Canaan), Luna Ersek (Darien), Campbell Bonanno (Darien), Amanda O'Flanagan (Darien), Julianne Bauer (Darien) Darien High School 2023 interns: Sophie Curtis, Avery Johnson, Conan Thibodeau, Cole Deline Darien High School 2022 interns: Alexis Lyons, Matthew Magnotta, Piper Henderson, Margaret Williams

< Back A Visit from St. Nicholas Sat., Dec 11, 2021, 11 am Good boys and girls enjoyed a visit with Santa and other activities such as "pin the nose on rudolph." They all left with a stocking of goodies! Previous Next

A list of all events at the Mather Homestead can be found here! MH Calendar of Events Calendar of upcoming events below We also offer tours Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 9a to 2p and Yoga every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30 am October 2026 Today Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7:00 PM Holiday Ornament Homesteading Workshop | Needlepoint with Lauren Keena 9 10 11 12 13 7:00 PM Literary Evening: The Poetry of Wendell Berry 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 11:00 AM Fall Harvest Festival, Presented by BMW of Darien 25 26 27 28 29 5:30 PM Lecture from Former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams and the Official Unveiling of the Stephen Mather Plaque 30 31 1 2 3 9:00 AM Election Day Camp for Young Creators, K-5 4 5 6 7

The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 and has been impeccably preserved over three centuries. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. THE 1778 HOMESTEAD The Mather Homestead was built by Deacon Joseph Mather, a deacon in Middlesex Parish, in 1778 during the Revolutionary War, on land inherited by his mother, Hannah Bell. Deacon Joseph Mather lived in the house with his wife, Sarah. They raised eleven children in the Homestead. The family owned over 100 acres which is what it took to support a family of this size at that time. Their sustenance came from the family farm, from the wood to heat the house, to the fields that provided vegetables, flax and wheat and farm animals providing milk, eggs and meat. The earliest photo of the homestead, circa 1800s Stephen and Jane Mather Deacon Joseph passed the house to his wife, Sarah, in 1840. She died three years later and passed the house to Rana (1784-1880) and Phebe (1798-1886), their two daughters who never married. At Rana's death the house was passed to Ann Elizabeth Lockwood who sold it one year later to her first cousin, Joseph Wakeman Mather for $1,000. He built a barn on the property but lived most of the time in Brooklyn before moving to San Francisco to develop his business and raise his family. His son, Stephen Tyng Mather , inherited the house including 22 acres which stretched over the Norwalk town line in 1906. Stephen Mather used the home during vacations while he spent time out West, making his mark on our country by founding and as first Director of the National Park Service. The house again passed to Stephen Mather's only daughter, Bertha Floy Mather McPherson, who inherited the house in 1930 when he died. She was one of the first female architects in Connecticut and a charter member of the Darien Historical Society. She designed the house across the street (Brookside Road) for a relative. Bertha McPherson raised her three children, Stephen, Jane and Anne, in the home. They continue to reside close to Darien. The home is considered one of the finest examples of 18th century architecture, a wood frame structure with two stories plus a basement and attic. The home's chimney, originally providing warmth and a means to cook food, is at the center of the home. The original structure included a kitchen with the largest of the fireplaces, plus a dining room and parlor, both with fireplaces. Over time, a modern kitchen was added. The upstairs included two rooms in the front and a large unfinished space in the rear which was converted into bedrooms and a bathroom during the 19th century. Stephen Mather made changes to the house after he inherited it in 1906; he gave the house a more Colonial Revival appearance. In 1927, based on designs by architect Thomas Harlan Ellett, he added a porch on the side and a two story addition to the rear, and added the portico over the main entrance. The interior of the main block retained its original character through these changes, but the old kitchen space was converted into a living room. He also added a sunken garden, a caretaker's cottage (replaced later by a guest house) and a carriage barn. Today, the property consists of seven acres with the original residence, a detached garage, a guest house and a barn. The original furnishings, family heirlooms, masonry, woodwork and more have been preserved. The home became a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2017, the Mather Homestead deemed a "Protected Town Landmark" and donated by the McPherson family to The Mather Homestead Foundation will preserve the property and operate a museum. The house's main fireplace which served as the kitchen A hinge on the house dating back to the 18th century THE MATHER HOMESTEAD THROUGH THE YEARS Bertha Mather McPherson's Album chronicling house changes 1778 to 1969 Owners of the Mather Homestead ... Six Generations of Mathers THE MATHER HOMESTEAD TODAY Mather Homestead Current Keeping Room Mather Homestead Current Dining Room Mather Homestead Current West Bedroom Mather Homestead Current Keeping Room 1/5 THE MATHER HOMESTEAD COLLECTION The Mather Homestead includes many pieces which are original to the home (late 18th century), pieces acquired over the centuries, and many pieces collected by Bertha Mather McPherson during the 20th century which are from the Revolutionary War period. View the collection

The beautiful Mather Homestead property provides the perfect backdrop for creative inspiration. Whether you are a photographer, painter, sculptor etc., we invite you to create on property. All previous art events can be found here. Past Art-at-Mather ArtScapes Lecture - Jan. 18, 2023 Robin Hoffman presented a lecture: American Vistas - from the Hudson River School to the National Parks Photos Darien Alumni Art Show 2021 The Mather Homestead was proud to host the first Darien Alumni Art Show showcasing the works of local young artists. Photos Darien Alumni Art Show 2022 We celebrated local artists by hosting the second annual Darien Alumni Art Show! Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 10, 2021 Year two of Plein air art classes with Lisa Thoren: Learn the art of landscape painting! A special lesson on how to sketch plein air with Lisa Thoren. Creating outdoors, we will discover techniques to learn perspective, composition and values. Includes wine to help your creative inspiration :-). Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 28, 2021 Back by popular demand .. our second June 2021 painting class! Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - September 24, 2020 Our first Plein air art class with Lisa Thoren: Learn the art of landscape painting! A special lesson on how to sketch plein air with Lisa Thoren. Creating outdoors, we will discover techniques to learn perspective, composition and values. Includes wine to help your creative inspiration :-). Photos Paint & Sip - Feb. 21, 2023 Budding artists chose scenes from the Mather Homestead to see and draw, then painted in the barn. Photos Paint & Sip with Lisa Thoren - February 3, 2022 Our resident art teacher, Lisa Thoren, guided us through the process of creating a painting from scratch -- see, sketch, paint. Photos Paint & Sip! Winter paint & sip led by our expert Lisa Thoren! Photos Plein Air Weeks 2020 Artists drew, painted and photographed on the Mather Homestead grounds during our first "Plein air" week. Photos Plein Air Weeks 2021 Artists drew, painted and photographed on the Mather Homestead grounds during our first "Plein air" week. Photos Plein Air Weeks 2022 Artists drew, painted and photographed during Plein Air Weeks 2022 -- images to follow! Photos Plein Air class Spring 2022! Back by popular demand ... more plein air painting with Lisa Thoren! Photos

Thank you to the many artists who spent time on the Mather Homestead Property during June, 2020-23. Artwork below is currently on display in the Elizabeth W. Chilton Education Center, a.k.a., the Barn. Plein Air Artists Thank you to the many artists who spent time on the Mather Homestead Property during June, 2020-2025. Artwork below is currently on display in the Elizabeth W. Chilton Education Center, a.k.a., the Barn. Ashley Aymonier I enjoy oil painting for its ability to capture a multitude of colors, highlights and textures in single brush strokes. I like to start color mixing with just the primary colors until I see the right tones to bring the subject to life. Over the past 30 years in Darien and New York City I have appreciated the opportunity to study and practice painting at the Art Students League, Woodstock School of Art, 92nd Street Y, Silvermine Art School and more recently, after leaving the world of finance, in sunlight with the Fairfield County Plein Air Painters. Read More Betsy Higgins Elizabeth Higgins was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1960. As a Helena Rubenstein Award recipient, Higgins earned her MFA from Parsons School of Design, where she studied with Leland Bell, Paul Resika, Albert Kresch and Robert deNiro, Sr. Prior to coming to New York in 1983, Higgins received her BFA from Queen’s University, Canada, where she studied painting and printmaking with JC Heywood, Ralph Allen and David Andrew. Higgins’ solo shows include the Prince Street Gallery, New York, The Argazzi Gallery, Lakeville, CT and the Nancy Poole Studio, Toronto, Canada. She has also exhibited in group shows at the Ingber Gallery, New York, the Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, the Addison/Ripley Fine Art gallery, Washington, DC, the ART/PLACE gallery, Fairfield CT, and the Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan, CT. Read More Catherine Leitao I have always loved art. The beautiful and the sublime captured my interest at a young age and still motivate me. Over the past fifteen years, I have been immersed in art both as a studio art student and as a museum educator. I struggle to balance these two interests but am grateful to have that challenge. As an independent museum educator, I have developed and led a wide-range of programs working with fine art in museum galleries and classrooms. I have especially enjoyed the opportunity to interact with underserved museum audiences. I am looking for opportunities to continue working in museum galleries and classrooms in the Mountain West. In the studio, I have focused primarily on the human figure. I have enjoyed learning to draw and paint in classical realist tradition in programs in Florence and New York. I am expecting to work more on landscapes now that I live in the foothills of Utah’s Wasatch Front. Working in university museums, I have also had the opportunity to incorporate art history into my museum education and studio art work. My interest in art history and my travels to many of the finest museums, churches and cities in the history of Western art have also led me to study how Christian art reflects the theology and traditions of the Catholic Church. I have enjoyed developing and presenting a series of lectures on Encountering Mary in Art. Read More Christina Tugeau Artist Statement: I love to paint - the delightful surprise each time as ‘something’ comes from nothing - pushing and pulling paint on paper, panel, or canvas - an image that has never existed before! I paint scenes, large and small, that capture my attention with their subject, shapes, light play, color, or story. I have an intention for the piece when I start but I am an intuitive painter and ‘listen’ to the moment and the paint itself once I begin. Often it has other intentions for me… thus the surprise! Read More Connie van Rhyn As a child Connie loved to draw and went on to receive a BFA in Commercial Interior Design from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. She then received her MS from Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture and is a licensed designer and a LEED AP (leadership in energy and environmental design). After decades of designing, developing workplace strategies and leading significant projects, and raising 3 sons, Connie is exploring her love of painting and drawing again. She has had the opportunity to study with many great faculty from Silvermine, beginning with Charles Sovek at age 16, and later with Churchill Davenport, and most recently with Dean Fisher and Justin Wiest. In her paintings, Connie looks to bring moments of joy to others and to continue to grow and explore the world around her. Read More Dave Miller Dave Miller has enjoyed photography as a means to connect with, and chronicle, our community and our heritage. Read More Diana Mikkidou Galik Darien resident. Architect/Interior Designer. Enjoys gardening and taking classes at Silvermine Arts Center. Read More Domenick Maldari Domenick Maldari was born in Giovinazzo, Province of Bari, Italy in 1948. He emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina and then lived in New York City from 1961 until until 2017 when he moved to Norwalk, Connecticut. Maldari is mostly self taught. He works predominantly in the medium of painting, however, he has also created works in ceramics, and enjoys carving bone, wood and low relief on slate. While he focuses principally on watercolor, he also enjoys painting in oil, as well as drawing in pencil and pen/ink. Maldari is foremost a craftsman interested in the uniquely human ability to use one's physical and intellectual capacity for artistic expression using inspiration from nature and our surroundings. He learned how to draw and paint at an early age under the direction and guidance of his father. He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in New York City, and later matriculated to Bronx Community College. Read More Donna Atkins "I have been painting for more than 30 years, working mainly in watercolor and photography, but have become increasingly fond of pastels, pencils and acrylics for their flexibility and diversity. My time is spent in and around Wilton, CT in the summer, painting with the Fairfield County Plein Air painters, but live in Venice, FL in the winter where I paint and spent time with my husband at the beaches and playing golf. Read More Elizabeth Agresta Elizabeth is a third generation artist, carrying on a family legacy in the creative arts, which includes: kimono design, Japanese ceramics, culinary arts, photography, writing, and poetry. Elizabeth studied painting, print-making, and exploratory mixed media at Silvermine Art. She currently works out of her studio in Cos Cob and is the leading member of the Fairfield County Plein Air Painters, an active member of the New York Society of Women Artists, the Federation of Canadian Artists, and has served on the board of the Loft Artists Association. Read More Eunice Roy Born and educated in Scotland, Eunice Roy found her way to Rowayton some thirty-eight years ago after many years of residence in Europe. A lifelong interest in the arts has taken her to galleries and museums throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East. A long break from the easel to focus on writing and handicrafts, not to mention family and business commitments, followed early training with the Scottish painter, William B Taylor. Over fifteen years ago with the encouragement of noted pastelist, Margaret Dyer, and the support of many friends in the arts community, Eunice returned to painting and drawing. In search of new opportunities for learning, she spent many years and many happy hours in the studio of the Pastel Society of America in New York under the guidance of former PSA President, Barbara Fishman, and more recently, PSA Education Director, Maceo Mitchell. Read More Ginger Morgan Ginger Morgan has lived in Darien for over a quarter of a century and enjoyed the many beautiful gardens and parks in town. She finds photography enables her to take a deep look into the flowers and fauna around Darien. Additionally Ginger enjoys expressing her art in floral design and gardening. Read More Ginny Awn "I have a lifelong experience in art and design, including sculpture, drawing and interior design. I began painting about three years ago when I realized how much I missed color. And plein air painting is my favorite when the weather cooperates. Although it can be challenging, I love being out in nature as much as possible, and painting outdoors can be very meditative as well." Read More Hanneke Goedkoop Artist's Statement: "The inner and outer world of spirituality and metamorphosis behind my work. Thoughts about evolution and environment are represented in visual narratives. They are shaped through observation, from memories, connections with and love for nature and expressed in drawing, in painting, print-making and sculpture. I work to create an environment for the viewer to move into - to create a desire to be part of and connect with the unseen and seen in our natural world. The human psyche is rooted in the natural world." Read More Jan Raymond Jan Raymond is a Connecticut artist who’s primary interest is in how color can be used to delineate objects. She has exhibited in various juried shows including; Art of the Northeast, Washington & Jefferson University’s American Artists Show, New Haven Paint and Clay and The Faber Birren Color show where she won the color award. She has exhibited in group shows at the Stamford Museum, The State University of New York, Purchase, and The Connecticut Gallery. She has had solo shows at the Pindar Gallery (NYC), Portfolio Gallery (Stamford, CT) and Merkin Hall (NYC). She is an exhibiting member of The Rowayton Art Center. Her work is in numerous corporate and private collections. Jan studied and Syracuse University, Parsons Institute and was a student of the late Abstract Expressionist Theodore Stamos. Read More Jill Nichols Jill Nichols’ painting explores both the earthbound and outer expanses of our divine cosmos. Her sense of color and composition has developed over the course of 30+ years as a commercial artist. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 2000, she set her focus on painting, at first training at the Art Students League in NYC, and in 2015 earned her MFA in painting at Western Connecticut State University. Her commissioned painting of Washington D.C. appeared as a backdrop for James Comey’s interview on “Face the Nation” while another made its appearance on Showtime’s “The Comey Rule” mini-series. Her artwork “Phi,” celebrating the divine feminine was a part of the “Nasty Woman” art social movement in New Haven and then went on to be installed in the Vatican Observatory Museum. She has received awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and Connecticut Office of the Arts. An active participant in the art communities throughout Connecticut, she has served as vice-president for the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society and Valley Arts Council and exhibited at the Lyme Art Association, Carriage Barn, Greenwich Art Society, and Lyman Allen Museum. Jill is an instructor at the Silvermine Art School, in New Canaan, Connecticut, and conducts painting workshops locally and abroad. Jill now offers videos on YouTube and holds real-time online painting critiques. Artist Statement My painting is poetry, a lyrical composition of color and light. When painting, I am in the moment, thoroughly present and enraptured. I experience a sense of peace, as well as an urgency to capture and share the moment. It is a privilege to paint. Taking in the invisible birdsong, whispering winds, fragrant mist, and luminous clouds, often gone before the brush touches the paint. Inadvertently documenting the vanishing in a slipknot along the infinite. Read More Kathleen Weinstock Kathleen came to painting after a career in finance and retail management in New York City. She rediscovered her creative passion as she raised her three children in Darien. While working in decorating, she squeezes in time for painting. Kathleen’s award-winning oil painting depict subjects ranging from landscapes, still life, portraits and abstractions. Read More Lisa Thoren Lisa Thorén is an award-winning mixed-media artist. She began her career studying printmaking in Florence, Italy, and earned her BFA from Parsons School of Design. Lisa was an art director at Travel + Leisure Magazine, a creative director in advertising, and board president of the Darien Arts Center in Darien, Connecticut. Lisa was accepted into the Silvermine Guild after being juried into the 65th Annual Art of the Northeast Show at Silvermine Arts Center in 2015. She has participated in the Parsons School of Design alumni shows and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Fabir Birren Color Award. Lisa has exhibited as a solo artist in galleries in Connecticut. Her art hangs in the permanent collections of the Greenwich Library, the Darien Nature Center, and the Stanford University Medical Center in California. Lisa Thorén's work has been featured in Darien/New Canaan Magazine, Brooks Brothers stores, and historical societies in Greenwich and Darien. She resides in Darien, CT with her husband Peter. Read More Mary Wade Mary Wade offers family and landscape photography based in Darien, CT, and Nantucket, MA. While her versatile photography skills range from headshots to beachscapes. One of her favorite subjects to capture is the family unit and she loves working with children. Read More Nancy Cannon A long-time interest in sketch and drawing has lead me to pick up painting in recent years. I am fascinated with all aspects of color, light, and 2-dimensional art. My goal is to represent and re-create a beautiful and memorable scene. I experiment with paint, including oil, acrylic and watercolor. Having worked with talented artists/instructors in Fairfield County area, I am grateful and hope to further develop my own skill and style. Painting with Fairfield County Plein Air Painters has given me added inspiration and opportunity to paint from life and nature. Read More Nobu Miki Nobu is a native of Tokyo, Japan. She never thought she would be an artist — she graduated with a degree in psychology from Waseda University in Tokyo and then went on to work for a major Japanese cosmetics company to do market research. While she is not classically trained, she always jokes that her psychology background helps her understand what people want to see in a painting. She first moved to the United States in 1994 when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with her family because of her husband's job. However, she soon fell in love with American Folk Art and started studying decorative painting, a style that makes heavy use of patterns and is painted mostly on wooden surfaces. She didn't speak English very well and had two young sons (1 and 5 years old) at the time, but her 75-year-old teacher Rachel Stephans took her under her wing, and they remained very close until Rachel's death 14 years later. After returning to Japan in 1996, she continued to teach decorative painting. She returned to the U.S. in 2000, this time to moving to South Bend, Indiana. Again, she studied decorative painting with local artists. She painted on tin, wood and furniture, among other things, and her works at the Country Sampler Store in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, made her one of the best-selling painters at the store. She gradually began to paint on canvases on the recommendation of a board member of the museum at the University of Notre Dame. She moved with her family to Darien, Connecticut, in 2003, where she established her art business and her unique Modern Folk Art style. Since then, Nobu has painted scenes of the New England countryside and the towns of Darien and New Canaan in Connecticut, and many of her paintings are in private and public collections. She has designed the cover of the Darien Parks & Recreation Department brochure 2008 -2016, and many local nonprofits have used her works to raise money at silent and live auctions. She has established herself as one of the most recognizable and beloved artists in Darien. Nobu has been commissioned by many to paint house portraits, and in addition, she has launched a line of dog portraits, inspired by her labradoodles, Princess Fiona and Freddie Picasso. She has taught at Darien senior center since 2015. She started a Montmartre, Paris inspired outdoor art event in 2015 and it has been one of the most popular annual art events in Darien. Nobu lunched a support group for minority women in Darien, Minority Voice in 2020 and started a diversity brainstorm zoom session “ Meet the artist-diversity talk” in 2021. Read More Pamela Abear A self-taught painter, Pamela Riley-Abear attended Tyler School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia as a metalsmith major and transferred to the University of New Hampshire to complete her studies in metalsmithing. In her teens, she studied under Harold Seroy, a portrait painter and early in her career Pam was a colourist for Marlene Siff, a wallpaper and linens designer in Westport, CT and then painted designs for a Wedgewood pattern designer, Veda Brock Turner in Connecticut. As a commissioned artist for the past 25 years Pam has created unique, large window paintings and murals for homes and offices, as well as house and pet portraits to include winning race horses for clients along the East Coast, Bermuda and England. She always is thinking about and finding new ways to approach the canvas with paint and perspectives creating new and different pieces which lead to more new ideas. Her painting mediums are acrylic and oil and she has won numerous awards for her paintings. Pam designed and painted the cow “Surf and Turf” for the Stamford Cow parade in 2000; an elephant called “Elephantasy” which graced the UBS Warburg’s lawn in 2003 and “In the Dog House” in Stamford’s Reigning Cats and Dogs in 2010. Since 2005 Pam have been working under the tutelage of two sculptors in New York; Ron Mineo and Mike Keropian. Clay has been my sculpture medium so far and she created pieces concerning the human figure in their life sculpture class and life size head portraits. She also likes to fit clay pieces together, creating a larger sculpture and using creative thinking to get it to all work. A particularly involved piece that required a bit of engineering to put together was a 5 foot lighthouse. Pam created eight pieces in clay that needed to fit together once fired and incorporated a piece from a wooden column that the eight pieces all worked around. From there she created a 3.5 foot high piece with two swirling otters in kelp and that has inspired her to step yet another direction with three abstract pieces concerning the sea. Its organic matter and creatures have influenced her greatly both in paintings and now in here sculpture. The undulations caused by the sea upon the kelp have her creating ribboning pieces in clay to mimic the motion. She pushed the clay to its limits in asking it to hold these shapes. She is challenging both herself and the clay. Pam has currently completed her first stone carvings and have found an excitement in the art of stone not yet found in clay. Stone has hidden veins and colours that come out as her shape the stone and often it makes you rethink the direction you originally were heading. It is a long and exhilarating process of bringing out the best in the stone. Read More Patricia Shean Many moons ago Patricia worked as the student photographer for her undergraduate college. Following several career changes, Patricia moved to Darien with her husband, David, and two wonderful daughters. She returned to the visual arts to study digital photography, then pursued drawing, watercolor and oil painting at The Silvermine School of Art, the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and The Florence Academy of Art. She is grateful for the opportunities to have studied with many talented instructor artists, especially Justin Weist, Dean Fisher, Josephine Robinson, Jesus Villarreal and Igor Naskalov. Read More Peter Kinseley Peter Kinseley won best in show at Rowayton Arts Center in 2015. Read More Rob Lokody ARTIST STATEMENT: “I prefer discovery over manipulation. To me, this way-of-seeing is especially expressive in Photography. While my other artistic pursuits often require measured constructs and conceits, the spontaneity of Photography lightens and liberates.” BIOGRAPHY: ReBeL remembers rambling around Mather Homestead as a boy, when Four Seasons Farm grew crops in the surrounding fields and horses grazed in the tall grass. ReBeL received his first photographic assignment in 1982, when an architectural firm hired him to capture iconic buildings such as New York’s Chrysler Building, World Trade Center, Morgan Library and Boston’s Prudential Center. As an international Creative Director, ReBeL produced work for such global icons as British Airways, Canon Cameras, Nokia, De Beers, Toyota and Dove Chocolates, among many others. ReBeL also directed several noteworthy commercials in Europe. As a Photographer, ReBeL has exhibited in both regional and national exhibitions. A one-man-show (postponed due to the pandemic) will be rescheduled in Budapest at the former Moroccan Embassy. Beyond Photography, ReBeL is an Author, Traveler (two dozen countries on six continents) and ardent nature lover. ReBeL rebels by respectfully serving the community and peacefully cultivating God’s garden. Read More Trudie Larrabee Trudie graduated from Williams College with a degree in Art History, preparing her for a lifetime appreciation of the artistic experience. As the muse, wife and business partner of the acclaimed photographer Ben Larrabee for over 30 years, she’s honed her creative abilities and developed a point of view that she expresses thru the iPhone. Read More Werner Liepolt My career as a painter is short. So is my statement. I respond to what’s happening and how it affects me. Both of my submissions reflect my mood and my relationship to Long Island Sound. My interests are grow from travel and staying put… the soil, trees, the sea and our relation to them… so whether I, painting a still life or a plein air landscape, whether I’m working oil water color, pastels, or oil, my goal is to capture fleeting beauty and communicate it. In addition to a life devoted to teaching, I have written several Off-Broadway play and scripts for movies, developed computer software, rescued numerous dogs, and enjoyed to exploits of the members of my family. Read More

We invite you and friends to join us for a tour and tea at the Mather Homestead! Groups are invited to visit the Homestead from 10 to 11:30 am on a weekday. Tea (or coffee), scones, and muffins followed by a tour of the homestead. By appointment. TOUR AND TEA We invite you and friends to join us for a tour and tea at the Mather Homestead! Groups are invited to visit the Homestead from 10 to 11:30 am on a weekday. Tea (or coffee if you prefer), scones and muffins followed by a tour of the homestead. By appointment. $20 per person. Please email us to arrange a date.

Bertha Mather McPherson (1906-1993) was the only child of Stephen and Jane Mather. One of the first female architects in Connecticut and a charter member of the Darien Historical Society, she owned the Homestead from her father's death in 1930 until her death in 1993. BERTHA MATHER MCPHERSON (1906-1993) Bertha, the only child of Stephen Tyng Mather and Jane Thacker Floy, was born in Chicago, IL on August 10, 1906 but spent summers at her family homestead in Darien, Connecticut. She graduated in 1928 from Vassar College and went on to the Cambridge School of Landscape and Domestic Architecture, a program operated by Smith College, earning a master's degree in 1933. Bertha became one of the first female architects in Connecticut and designed the house across the street (Brookside Road) for a relative. It was recognized in House Beautiful with an honorable mention. The house is currently owned by a Mather descendant. Bertha became a champion for preservation. She was a charter member of the Darien Historical Society. In that role, she helped to move the Bates-Scofield house to its current location and identified historic homes in Darien, publicizing them through the local Darien News Review. Recognizing the important role of her father as first Director of the National Park Service, and the ~200 year history of the Mather Homestead, she successfully advocated for the Mather Homestead to become a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Also inspired by her father's conservation efforts, Bertha was long associated with the Student Conservation Association, a nonprofit educational organization that places student volunteers with national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. Bertha inherited the Mather Homestead from her father when he passed in 1930. She married Edward Reynolds McPherson in 1932 and raised their children, Anne McPherson Tracy, Stephen Mather McPherson and Jane McPherson Nickerson in the Mather Homestead where she lived until her death in 1993. Edward McPherson lived in the home until his death in 2002. Bertha lovingly cared for the home and gardens from 1930 to 1993, keeping its historical character and adding many 18th century antiques and artifacts which still rest in the home. Today, it stands as she left it - a ~250 year home filled with stories of a six generation family that made its mark on American history. Anne, Jane and Stephen McPherson, children of Bertha Mather McPherson House Beautiful, 1936 Young Bertha Mather at the Mather Homestead

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