2020 GRANTEES
The mission of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is to offer a place to share compelling and meaningful cultural experiences that open the door to new ideas, perspectives and possibilities.
The Westmoreland’s vision is to imagine a world in which everyone feels valued and represented.
The Westmoreland was established in 1959 through a generous bequest from Mary Marchand Woods, a long-time Greensburg resident who wanted her community to have an important cultural institution. Today, The Westmoreland continues that legacy as one of very few cultural venues in the region that has no admission fee, making access to arts and culture truly equitable for all. Over the past 60 years, The Westmoreland has built a permanent collection of significant American art from colonial to contemporary, placing it among the best of museums of American art in the country. A special focus within the collection is paintings relating to southwestern Pennsylvania within the context of the national American art scene. The opening in 2015 of the Museum’s cantilevered wing, coupled with the renovation of the existing building, provides a world class facility to the world class collection and was recognized as the best designed museum in the state of Pennsylvania by Architectural Digest in 2018.
In late 2018, The Westmoreland removed its previous suggested donation policy and began offering Free Admission for All — all general admission to the Museum, the permanent collection, and temporary exhibitions is now free for every visitor.
The Westmoreland brings world class exhibitions and programs to the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. In 2019, the Museum featured the exhibitions Mingled Visions: The Photography of Edward Curtis and Will Wilson, Era of Cool: The Art of John Van Hamersveld, 107th Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Annual, and African American Art in the 20th Century from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Each exhibition featured a diverse roster of complementary programs meant to serve a wide variety of interests. Upcoming exhibitions for 2021 include: The Permanent Collection: A Sneak Peek, Border Cantos | Sonic Border, Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee, and Stephen Towns: Declaration and Resistance.
The Museum’s Education Team offers field trips, tours, and outreach programs to area schools (virtually due to COVID-19), and public programs to for children, adults, and families that relate to our permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
The first Artist in Residency program at The Westmoreland is being developed in partnership with BOOM Concepts, a Pittsburgh-based, Black artist collective. With consulting support from BOOM Concepts, The Westmoreland will identify artists in residence to use the Museum as their creative space. Activities begin in September 2020, engaging Black and marginalized artists to develop new bodies of artwork in response to the Museum’s collection and exhibitions. In addition, Artists in Residence will engage with the public by offering programs including artist conversations, studio classes, or performances.
All photographs courtesy of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.