(CS1.2) The Olson House: The challenges of preserving a living ruin depicted by Andrew Wyeth in Christina's World

Andrew Wyeth painted the Olson House, in Cushing Maine and its occupants Alvero and Christina Olson over a thirty year period from the mid 1930s. As the fortunes of the occupants and their house declined Wyeth documented this decline and the decay of the house owned by the family since 1745. Visitors flock every year, almost like a pilgrimage to see this house and to re-imagine the paintings by Wyeth. The HSR found a much deeper and more expansive history beyond the NHL listing Criteria B- "Person: Its association with Andrew Wyeth". How can we preserve the house in decay and prevent further material deterioration? Are there traditional finishes, such as lime wash that can weather over time and yet protect the historic fabric?. How do we engage the public in this effort? Several coatings tests with interpretive panels have been prepared and monitored over the past year. Can this original white lime wash house transition to a grey weathered house and can the interpretation straddle these periods in the historic of the house. How has the 1970s "restoration" impacted the public perception of the house and what it"should" look like? How has interpretation of the artist's work changed this perception? This is a conundrum for the preservation architects and conservators.
Finally The Farnsworth Art Museum are owners and stewards of the Olson House, which is part of their collection. How do they sustain and interprete this site? How do the public engage in its preservation and discover how it has changed over time, while still preserving its identity with Wyeth.