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4th Annual Art in the Park at Fairsted —
A Vibrant Celebration of Art and Music
On Sunday, July 20, 2025, Friends of Fairsted and the National Park Service hosted the 4th Annual “Art in the Park” on the South Lawn of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. Early morning rain cleared for a sunny, festive day, drawing over 350 visitors. The morning kicked off with Vanessa Trien and The Jumping Monkeys, whose spunky tunes, colorful scarves, and bubble machine captivated children. In the afternoon, the Juventas New Music Ensemble enchanted audiences with original classical compositions. Visitors of all ages enjoyed art activities like watercolor painting, sun-printing, and a “Design a Park” station, while seasonal staff led tours of the historic design office, offering an up-close look at Olmsted’s archives. Tasty treats and cool beverages kept everyone refreshed, and three lucky raffle winners took home Friends of Fairsted tote bags filled with books about Olmsted and gift shop swag.
We’re grateful to all who joined us and extend special thanks to the Brookline Commission for the Arts and the Mass Cultural Council for their generous grant support. We are already looking forward to our 5th Art in the Park next summer!
IN MEMORIAM: Honoring Three Pioneers of Preservation and Advocacy
The Friends of Fairsted mourn the loss of three cherished members of our community—each of whom played a vital role in advancing the preservation and understanding of Olmsted landscapes and ideals and supported the establishment and stewardship of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. We honor the memory of Shary Page Berg, Annie Frick Blair, and Betsy Shure Gross, whose lives and work continue to inspire us.
Shary Page Berg, the first Site Manager of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, was a trailblazing leader within the National Park Service. A steadfast champion of cultural landscapes and public history, Shary laid the foundation for Olmsted NHS as a site of national significance and public engagement. Her legacy continues through the preservation and management policies she established at Fairsted and the many cultural landscapes she helped to preserve. Shary passed away on December 3, 2024 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Annie Frick Blair, a long-time board member of the Friends of Fairsted, was a devoted landscape architect and tireless advocate for the protection and interpretation of public landscapes. Annie brought a quiet wisdom and thoughtful presence to her many years of service to the park as a member of the Board. Her professional expertise and personal passion for landscape history helped shape our programs and broaden our reach. Annie passed away on May 5, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Betsy Shure Gross, a founding board member of the Friends, was a visionary civic leader and preservationist whose advocacy for Olmsted landscapes, especially in the Boston area, was both expansive and deeply personal. A persuasive voice and tireless collaborator, Betsy was instrumental in building coalitions, raising awareness, and securing support for parks and green spaces that embody the Olmsted vision. Her passion for community and conservation left a profound mark on Boston and beyond. Betsy passed away on July 15, 2025 in Davis, California.
Together, Shary, Annie, and Betsy exemplified the power of leadership, dedication, and generosity in service of a shared mission. We are grateful for their enduring contributions to Fairsted and the Olmsted legacy and will continue our work with their memory in our hearts.
NEWS FROM THE OLMSTED ARCHIVES
Announcing ORGO 2.0
Over twenty years ago, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Olmsted NHS) launched the Olmsted Research Guide Online (ORGO)—a groundbreaking online catalog that unified project-related records from Olmsted NHS and the Library of Congress (LC). Created with support from the National Center for Preservation Technology & Training, the Olmsted Network (formerly NAOP), the LC, Friends of Fairsted, and a dedicated group of scholars and supporters, ORGO became a vital research tool—reuniting historically separated collections and providing detailed microfilm information for LC materials.
Today, we’re proud to introduce ORGO 2.0, a major step forward in accessibility, functionality, and research support.
Key improvements include:
1. Integrated Digital Images
Over 140,000 architectural plans and drawings, along with 60,000 photographs from project albums, are now embedded directly within ORGO catalog records. Previously only available via our Flickr archive, these images can now be viewed in context with catalog data—providing a more seamless research experience.
2. Direct Access to Library of Congress Materials
Digitized microfilm collections from the LC’s Olmsted-related holdings are now fully integrated. Users can access folder- and item-level links to correspondence, subject files, letterbooks, and project files—bringing unprecedented ease to navigating these extensive archives.
3. Personalized Research Tools
ORGO now allows users to mark, save, and organize records into personalized lists. Each record also includes a shareable link, enabling easy reference and collaboration between researchers or with staff at Olmsted NHS and LC.
4. Updated Platform Architecture
Behind the scenes, ORGO 2.0 has been rebuilt on a modern software foundation, ensuring faster performance, greater reliability, and capacity for future enhancements. This is a significant leap forward in access to the Olmsted archives, and we hope you’ll help us spread the word. If you have questions or feedback, please contact us by email at frla_orgo@nps.gov.
Thank you to our supporters, partners, and the broader research community for making this next chapter possible. We’re excited to continue expanding access to the Olmsted legacy with ORGO 2.0.