Chesterwood 2025 Programming
Mansion of Daniel Chester French
By: Chesterwood - Apr 14, 2025
On May 14, Chesterwood – the summer home, studio and gardens of American Renaissance sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) – will reopen its doors to the public after a multi-faceted, four-year renovation and rehabilitation project to preserve the French family residence. The $4 million project has resulted in three new exhibition rooms, ADA upgrades, and a state-of-the-art collections and resource center available for research and academic work. A site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 1969, Chesterwood boasts nine buildings, enveloped in a 122-acre landscape with mountain views, formal gardens and woodland trails forged by French. Daniel Chester French created some of his most iconic work at Chesterwood, notably the seated Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1922.
Chesterwood’s 2025 season unveils the fully renovated main residence of Daniel Chester French and his family, designed by American Beaux-Arts architect Henry Bacon and completed in 1901. Although French’s daughter, Margaret French Cresson, made some changes in furnishings and decoration after Chesterwood passed to her ownership, the house is essentially the same as it was when it served as the family’s summer retreat. Patrons will now have access to view the second floor of the residence, which will host three new exhibition rooms, curated with works from Chesterwood’s vast art collection.
“I arrived at Chesterwood at an exciting time following the completion of the beautiful preservation work on the property,” says Miguel Rodriguez, the newly appointed Executive Director of Chesterwood. “I’m thrilled to help bring the site to its full potential through engaging programming and to share Chesterwood’s rich collection—much of which has rarely been seen before.”
Summer 2025 Exhibition:
Modeling Women: Female Models and Artists at Chesterwood - Selections from the Chesterwood Collection
Chesterwood displays a collection of French’s original sculpture, plaster maquettes, paintings and furnishings throughout the French family residence, the sculptor’s studio, and exhibition galleries. This summer, three bedrooms on the second floor of the main residence will be opened to the public for an exhibition celebrating the important role of French’s female models and spotlighting the works of two female artists active at Chesterwood: French’s protégée Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954) and his daughter, Margaret French Cresson (1889-1973).
Modeling Women brings together over 25 sculptures and paintings—many never before exhibited—to explore themes of collaboration and mentorship. The exhibition highlights women who modeled for some of Daniel Chester French’s most celebrated monuments. As a realistic figurative sculptor, French relied heavily upon his models, and they played a critical role in French’s process.
The exhibition in the Daniel Chester French Room showcases French’s skill with portraits of some of his favorite models, Hettie Anderson – a pioneering African-American model – Julia Swift Gilbert, and Audrey Munson (considered to be America’s first supermodel). In addition to professional models, French would ask visiting family and friends to sit for painted portraits; it may come as a surprise to visitors to see that French was as adept with oil paint as he was with modeling clay.
Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954) was Daniel Chester French’s longtime protegée. French invited the younger, aspiring sculptor to work with him in 1900 and they enjoyed a professional and personal relationship that spanned decades. French’s mentorship of Longman’s artistic growth included charging her with carving the lettering and other decorative elements at the Lincoln Memorial, and collaborating with her on an important commemorative war medal. This summer, the Evelyn Beatrice Longman Room in Margaret French’s childhood bedroom will showcase portrait busts of young Margaret French by Longman beside portraits of Longman by French and painter Milton Bancroft. Other works in the room will highlight collaborations and interconnections between French and Longman.
Margaret French Cresson (1889-1973), the only child of Daniel and Mary French, began experimenting with spare bits of clay in her father's studio as a child. She fearlessly followed in her father’s footsteps and studied alongside him as well as at the New York School of Design. She excelled in realistic figurative portraits, particularly marble busts, with a fascination for faces. Her work was exhibited in museums and galleries, and she was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1942. In the newly opened Margaret French Cresson room, portraits and character studies by the younger French accompany her most celebrated work, Girl with the Curls.
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition: Global Warming/Global Warning! June 7 – October 31
Chesterwood will address the issue of climate change with its 47th annual outdoor sculpture show in 2025. Global Warming/Global Warning explores how the natural and designed landscapes at Chesterwood are being impacted by global warming, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and the aging out of a mature forest. Invited artists engage directly with the environment, using the native and invasive materials of the forest, responding to climate impacts, and introducing human-made objects juxtaposed with the natural environment to challenge the viewer and raise issues around what we are doing to our planet. Chesterwood opens its outdoor sculpture exhibition on June 7 with an opening reception celebration. Curated by preservation engineer and restoration architect Michael Lynch, this year’s event features artists Kathleen Jacobs, Ann Jon, DeWitt Godfrey, Harold Grinspoon, whose “Olympus” will be displayed at Chesterwood for two years, and glass artist Natalie Tyler, who will premiere a new work entitled “Tornado.”
In August and September 2025, visitors can also see a retrospective of the Berkshires-based sculptor Ann Jon’s work at the Woodshed Gallery.
Artists in Residence Program
Since the 1970s, Chesterwood has hosted artists in a variety of disciplines through partnerships with organizations in which residency opportunities are a key element of their mission. Currently Chesterwood has established partnerships with Berkshire Art Center (Stockbridge, MA) and the National Sculpture Society (New York, NY). The 2025 season will see four artists in residence at Chesterwood:
1. Sculptor Heidi Wastweet: An elected member of the National Sculpture Society, Heidi was selected through a competitive national juried process. Heidi will spend the month of June at Chesterwood, residing at The Meadowlark, Daniel Chester French’s private working studio in the woods. This residency is supported, in part, by the Lee M. Weiser Fund.
2. Bel Canto Duo: Artist & cellist, David Downing, and multi-instrumentalist, Darci Gamerl’s mission is to create meaningful community and connection through their compositions – combining lyrical, poignant lines with healing music science. They will be in residence at The Meadowlark for the month of July 2025, working on a Chesterwood-inspired composition to be premiered at Chesterwood in the summer of 2026.
3. Berkshire Arts Center Artists in Residence: One artist will be selected through a competitive juried process to be in residence with a dedicated studio for three months.
4. Poet Jessica Jacobs: Jacobs will be in residence for two weeks at The Meadowlark from August 18 – 31.
Inaugural Chesterwood Garden Tea Party
On Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 3 PM, Chesterwood will invite guests to Chesterwood’s Garden Tea Party, a new signature fundraising gathering under the big tent for tea, cocktails, and live entertainment in support of its growing activities for children and families. “Having grown up surrounded by art, music, and historic sites, I’m passionate about creating a pathway for children and families of The Berkshires and beyond to engage with these cultural experiences” says Rodriguez. “Our goal is to help cultivate the next generation of artists, collectors and preservationists. Chesterwood's new programs for children are designed to do just that.”
These programs will include the new monthly ice cream socials for children, reviving a beloved tradition of the French family to open Chesterwood to families in the community. Ice cream and games will be held on June 22, July 26 and August 24 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m); Other offerings will be a holiday program featuring a visit with Santa Claus in the studio, and a one-week sculpture immersion camp for young people to be launched in 2026 in partnership with the Berkshire Arts Center.
Performing Arts and Speakers’ Series: ArtsAlive! & WordsAlive!
In its capacity as a center for creativity, Chesterwood presents numerous programs in its performing arts series ArtsAlive! and speakers’ series WordsAlive! from June through September. Season-long series that showcase artists in music, dance, theater, and the literary arts, Arts Alive! and Words Alive! were designed to be a resource to bring community together to experience the arts and feel connected in the intimate setting of the historic studio and formal gardens. This program is also about honoring the deep tradition of creative history at Chesterwood where Daniel Chester French often invited artists, dancers, musicians, and writers to share their work and draw inspiration.
ArtsAlive!
June 20 & 21 at 5:30 PM
Ian Spencer Bell: Dancer and Poet – The program, called “11 Pieces”, features a pair of 1904 Isadora Duncan works choreographed to Frédéric Chopin’s Minute Waltz and its partner, Narcissus, with live music by classical pianist Lauren Aloia. Bell will also premiere a new self-choreographed piece, Two Impromptus, inspired by intensive training with Sankai Juku, a butoh dance troupe in Japan this past summer.
July 23 at 5:30 PM
Tanglewood Music Center Fellows in Concert – String Quartet and Solo Marimba. Works by Gabriela Ortiz, Ellen Reid, and Gabriella Smith – contemporary composers deeply engaged with environmental themes in their work – will be performed on this program inspired by the upcoming sculpture garden exhibit, "Global Warming / Global Warning.”
July 27 at 3:00 PM
Close Encounters with Music – Members of the Berkshire High Peaks Festival for Outstanding Musicians
July 31 at 5:30 PM
Shakespeare & Company presents an open rehearsal for their upcoming production of “The Taming of the Shrew” and more, with insights from the actors and director
August 2 at 5:30 PM
Sherman Chamber Ensemble, featuring guest violinist Victoria Wolf Lewis
August 8 at 5:30 PM
The Art of Tableaux Vivants – an ensemble production by director and actor Doria Bramante. Using costumes and props, the audience is engaged in watching the re-creation of famous paintings.
August 15 at 5:30 PM
Berkshire Pulse, a center for dance and the creative arts, presents original choreography inspired by the landscape at Chesterwood
WordsAlive!
June 11 at 5:00 PM
Patricia Hoerth talks about her new book Evelyn Beatrice Longman: The Woman Who Sculpted Golden Boy, Thomas Edison, and Other Monuments. Longman was an assistant and protégée of Daniel Chester French.
July 9 at 5:00 PM
Two Poets: Patrick Donnelly and Lisken Van Pelt Dus
July 18 at 5:30 PM
Richard Blake, creator of the newly commissioned W.E.B. DuBois sculpture shares his process on creating the figurative monument to sit in front of the library of DuBois’s hometown of Great Barrington, MA
July 20 at 1:00 PM
Public Monuments Today - A panel discussion with Richard Blake
August 6 at 5:00 PM
Lincoln scholar and author Harold Holzer presents the story of the Lincoln Memorial as a center for community protests around human rights issues, from its segregated dedication in 1922 to contemporary pre-inaugural presidential visits.
August 14 at 5:00 PM
Conductor and Juilliard School professor Mark Shapiro shares a lecture on “Music and the Mind.”
August 21 at 5:00 PM
Poetry reading with Writer in Residence Jessica Jacobs, moderated by Owen Lewis.
September 13 at 5:00 PM
Poetry Reading with Kathleen Aguero, Richard Hoffman, Daniel Tobin and David Giannini.