The Florence Griswold Museum sits on the edge of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, CT. Long considered the home of American Impressionism and the origins of the Lyme Art Colony, the property has seen a dramatic change over the last century. At the time of the Master Plan in 2018, this once thriving art colony and working farm with wild, riverine environs, had experienced succession into a monoculture landscape overrun with invasive species. The concept of The Artists’ Trail was conceived through a $1M grant from the Schumann Foundation. Turning to paintings for inspiration of the site’s forgotten landscapes, the project integrates restoration ecology, education and the arts through a series of experiences along The Artists’ Trail. Historic landscapes and cultural remnants are re-interpreted with a 21st century sense of environmental purpose. These interventions translate the visitor experience beyond the Museum walls and activate the forgotten edges of the property, bringing people outdoors for a more authentic and relevant sense of why the artists were drawn to this landscape in the first place.

Recognition
American Society of Landscape Architects | Honor Award for Analysis and Planning 2019
Boston Society of Landscape Architects | Merit Award for Analysis and Planning 2019
The Schumann Foundation Grant Recipient

Collaborators
Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Great Ecology
Nemergut Consulting
Connecticut Audubon Society