Plein Air: Montgomery Agricultural Farm, Inspired by Grant Wood

Plein Air: Montgomery Agricultural Farm, Inspired by Grant Wood

(From top left: Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930. Art Institute of Chicago. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago/Art Resource, NY.; farm house Montgomery Agricultural Farm; Grant Wood, Spring Turning,1936. Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Image courtesy Reynolda House Museum of American Art, affiliated with Wake Forest University.; Montgomery Agricultural Farm Barn; Grant Wood, Spring in Town, 1941. Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. ;  Ariel View of Montgomery Agricultural Farm )                                                                                                  

Please join us for a morning of SPRING PLEIN AIR PAINTING on Saturday, April 12 from 9am -12pm at the vast historic Montgomery Agricultural Farm in Derwood, Maryland. 

Grant Wood painted in rural Iowa in the 1930's during the Great Depression when many Americans felt oppressed and longed for simpler times. We can see what a farm looked like in the 1930's in Montgomery County here at the Agricultural History Farm Park which centers on the Magruder-Bussard farmstead, a well-preserved example of an early 20th-century farm.  For an interesting article on Grant Wood's painting, please press his portrait link below. 

Location:  18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855

This scenic 455-acre park features rolling hills, open fields, an apple orchard, a variety of farm animals, and test gardens for the Dahlia Society.  There are barns to paint, a historic farm house and other structures in this rural landscape.  The main barn here was built in 1898 by the Bussard family and features distinctive elements such as square louvered windows, German siding, a stone foundation, and a half open fore-bay, which were common in the regions agricultural structures at the time. The mission of this agricultural farm is to preserve and interpret agricultural practices and lifestyles spanning the early 1700s through the 1960s.

Directions:

Link to Directions

Cost: Free 

Number of registrants: Up to 30  members and their guests (Members may bring 1 guest.)

What to expect:  Once you have arrived, please check in with Lynn in front of the farm house.  She will be wearing a straw hat.  We will paint all morning and then gather around 11:45 for a quick share and see, and group photo.  If you wish to bring a lunch and extend your painting experience to the afternoon, feel free.  Lynn will be painting here most of the day.  The park closes at dusk.

What to bring:   Please bring your standard paints, substrate, easel, stool, medium, drop cloth, hand wipes, sun hat, bug spray.  If you wish to extend your day, bring a bag lunch and we can gather under a tree to picnic together.

Getting there: If you'd like to try to find a ride or carpool with other participants, please post a note in our members-only Facebook group.

Parking:  The entrance to the farm park is located on Muncaster Road, marked by a brown wooden sign. To reach the historic buildings, turn right onto the gravel road at the first junction. Parking is available in the grass field in front of the farmhouse, accessible through an opening in the wooden fence on the right. Please avoid parking near the historic buildings, as it can disrupt the visitor experience. 

Photos: A photo permit is not required if photos are personal mementos of your attendance. 

Rain date:  No rain date.  Event will be held only if it is not raining.

Questions:  If you have any questions or concerns please contact Lynn Lewis at lynnlewisstudio@gmail.com  (text (301) 335-7923).

Request:  Please contact Lynn at least 24 hours in advance if you have registered and later decide that you cannot attend this event (or cancel your registration on the MAA site).