Arianne Kolb
‘Preserving This Treasure’: Merritt Parkway Exhibition on at New Canaan Library
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A new exhibition based on a historic local roadway has opened at New Canaan Library. Featuring artistic pieces inspired by the Merritt Parkway that emphasize its features and construction, the historical and architectural exhibition was created by the Merritt Parkway Conservancy. The nonprofit organization’s executive director, New Canaan’s Arianna Kolb, said she came up with the idea of “The Merritt: Masterwork of Design and Planning” after the library “was looking for an exhibition to honor America’s 250 birthday and celebrate this special year.”
Kolb said she believed the 27-and-a-half mile Merritt Parkway would be “perfect” for that because of its iconic reputation.
“It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, a National Scenic Highway,” she said. “It really is one of Connecticut’s architectural treasures, in addition to being one of the country’s most impressive achievements in 20th century public architecture, engineering and landscape design.”
On display in the Lightburn Gallery through August, the exhibition includes the “history of the construction and design of the parkway and what went into it,” Kolb said. “The first part of the exhibition is mainly historical photographs.”
She added: “There was also an artist, Howard Heath, who documented the construction of the parkway in watercolors, and I was able to track down two remaining watercolors.