Conservation History

Olson Field Preserve was donated from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art to Georges River Land Trust in the spring of 2026 to become our 24th public preserve. Previously owned by the Foundation, they received this land from Betsy James Wyeth, who passed away in 2020. We are grateful to both Betsy James Wyeth and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art for their commitment to preserving this significant landscape for public benefit.  

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In the mid-1900s, Betsy James Wyeth introduced her soon-to-be husband, Andrew Wyeth, to the Olson siblings, Alvaro and Christina, who lived at the house across the road from this new preserve. They grew to be close friends over time and Andrew Wyeth painted hundreds of works inspired by the Olsons and their home. One of these paintings, Christina’s World, is one of the most iconic American paintings of the 20th century. The preservation of the Olson Field marks GRLT’s second preserve at the intersection of land conservation and artistic legacy, complementing the nearby Langlais Art Preserve, the former homestead and art environment of artist Bernard Langlais. Wyeth and Langlais were contemporaries in Cushing and Langlais later created a sculptural homage to Wyeth’s image of Ms. Olson. The Olson House, now a historic landmark, is owned by the Farnsworth Museum of Art in Rockland, with whom we have a partnership to provide shared parking to the field and house properties.