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Our Mission
The mission of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art is to enrich a growing public through innovative and collaborative approaches to the collection, preservation and presentation of American art.
Our Vision
To be a preeminent museum of American art.
Brief History
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art was established as the Woods Marchand Foundation in 1949 at the bequest of Mary Marchand Woods, a resident of Greensburg interested in the arts but without a personal collection. This visionary founder bequeathed her entire estate in order for the Museum facility to be built in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, where it was positioned to serve the people of rural Westmoreland County as well as the city of Pittsburgh. In 1959, the Museum opened its doors to the public and its focus became the collection and exhibition of American and southwestern Pennsylvania art.
In the first twenty years, the Museum assembled a collection of works by significant American artists, concentrating on the mid-18th through the mid-20th centuries, including works by Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer. The Museum also became respected for its collection of works by southwestern Pennsylvania artists, holding its first exhibition and publishing its first catalogue on the subject in 1981. This early interest caught the attention of noted art historian William Gerdts who observed in his encyclopedic 1998 book, Art Across America, that the Museum "pioneered regional investigations."
In 1993, after making great strides in developing a significant collection, the Museum adopted a long-range plan to address the visitors' experience. The Museum asserted itself as a vital, forward-thinking institution engaged with its community. The Campaign for Enriching the Public Experience, launched in 1997, surpassed its goal of $3.5 million and raised $4.7 million for a much-needed Museum renovation which provided for reinstallation of the permanent collection in six improved galleries; created improved educational facilities and visitors' amenities; and contributed to the Museum's endowment funds.
Since renovating in 1999, a visitor services department was established along with new educational programming demonstrating the Museum's commitment to providing visitors with an exceptional experience. Following the reopening, attendance increased 20% and in post-renovation surveys, 98% of visitors reported an experience exceeding expectations.
In addition, the Museum has organized many important exhibitions, including All That is Glorious Around Us: Paintings from the Hudson River School, in 1997, Spirit of a Community: The Photographs of Charles "Teenie" Harris, in 2001, which brought the street photography of this important African American photographer to the public as fine art prints for the first time and gained national media attention; American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting, which allowed the public to see works from one of the most comprehensive private collections of this genre and traveled extensively throughout the United States; and, in 2007, Made in Pennsylvania: A Folk Art Tradition, an exhibition that brought together for the first time almost 400 significant examples of folk art, drew 22% of its attendance from outside the state, and had nearly a $700,000 economic impact on the southwestern Pennsylvania region. In addition, Born of Fire: The Valley of Work, an exhibition focusing on the art, music and history of Pittsburgh's Big Steel Era, debuted at the Westmoreland in June 2006 before making its European debut in Oberhausen, Germany in February 2007. Born of Fire is scheduled to tour Europe through 2010.
In February 2004, The Westmoreland was selected as the first museum featured on the long-running, nationally syndicated public television series, The Visionaries. The segment focuses on the Museum's commitment to community partnerships.
The Museum has also become known as a leader in the social enterprise movement in southwestern Pennsylvania. Through our Museum Shop Initiative and Born of Fire project, we tripled annual unrestricted earned income from our retail and wholesale operations, in addition to traveling exhibitions.
In September 2007, the Trustees approved a new strategic plan after extensive work by staff, Trustees, volunteers and community members. The plan focuses on three main objectives: to increase capacity to sustain and grow the Museum; to be a focused and exemplary collection of American art concentrating between the years of 1750-1950; and to be a destination for the community, region, tourists, schools and families.
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| • | May. 10, 2008
2008 Juried Biennial | | • | May. 17, 2008
Tea & Botanicals: An Afternoon of Tea and Floral Appreciation | | • | May. 22, 2008
Biennial Art | | • | May. 28, 2008
Biennial Artists and Their Art | | • | Jun. 09, 2008
2008 Summer Art Camp | | • | Jun. 09, 2008
Paws in Art | | • | Jun. 16, 2008
Art-Venture in Time | | • | Jun. 23, 2008
Modern Masters and Me | | • | Jul. 07, 2008
Art Assortment | | • | Jul. 14, 2008
3D Potpourri |
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