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| Contact(s): | Anne M. DeGraaf, (203) 834-1896, ext. 13 |
| Bust of Mahonri Young Donated to NPS
Bust of Mahonri Young Donated to National Park Service For Immediate Release September 29, 2000 Contact: Anne M. DeGraaf Weir Farm National Historic Site (203) 834-1896 WILTON, CT – The National Park Service at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut recently received a donation from the Weir Farm Trust of a bust of artist Mahonri M. Young, created by sculptor Spero Anargyros. Renowned sculptor and artist Young (1877-1957) lived and worked part-time at Weir Farm from 1931-1957. At Weir Farm Young developed his important work, the This is the Place Monument which commemorates the 1847 westward trek of Mormon pioneers and their settlement of the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Spero Anargyros was Young’s assistant from 1944-1947 on the massive This is the Place Monument project. Mahonri M. Young was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and was a grandchild of Brigham Young, one of the founders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Young bust, Portrait Head of Mahonri M. Young, was donated to the Weir Farm Trust by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Mahonri Young of Watermill, New York and a grandson of Mahonri M. Young, and George Lay of Stratford, Connecticut provided financial support for the bust’s creation. The bust will be on display at Weir Farm in the Mahonri Young studio, which is accessible to visitors on the guided studio tours. Weir Farm National Historic Site preserves the summer home and workplace of J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), a leading figure in American art and the development of American Impressionism, and the sculpting studio of Mahonri M. Young. The site continues to be a source of artistic inspiration, and the house, studios, farm buildings and landscape integral to the artists’ vision survive largely intact. Weir Farm’s visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, with tours of the historic art studios at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM. Tours include Weir’s studio and sculptor Mahonri Young’s 1930s studio where Young worked on the This is the Place Monument. For further information call (203) 834-1896. Visit our web site at www.nps.gov/wefa. -nps- **Digital versions of the attached image are available upon request. Bust of Mahonri Young Donated to National Park Service
Photo caption: Mahonri M. Young descendents gather at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Ridgefield/ Wilton, Connecticut to mark donation of bust Portrait Head of Mahonri M. Young to National Park Service. Back: Mahonri Young of Watermill, New York and Charles Lay of Fairfield, Connecticut, both grandsons of Mahonri M. Young. Front: George Lay, uncle of Charles, of Stratford, Connecticut.
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