Westmoreland American Art Museum

I love going to art museums, but I especially love going to small, cozy art museums, such as the Westmoreland American Art Museum, located in Greensburg, PA.

Jake (Prodigal Son), 2018, Paige Tibbe, oil on board.

The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is a delightful art museum devoted to American art, with a particular concentration on the art of southwestern Pennsylvania.

Portrait of a Portrait of Rita Tauber, 2018, Matthew Constant, oil on canvas.

As you enter the lobby, you’re invited to particpate in the art by taking selfies of yourself in front of several, and are provided props, such as a beach ball and sunglasses for DeBardin’s Sun Bath Tat Is Hot, below. I’ll spare you my selfie, but here’s the painting itself:

Sun Bath Tat Is Hot, 1965, Anthony DeBernardin, oil on canvas.

The Westmoreland’s permanent collection is comprised of works by major American artists from the 18th century through the present, with a special emphasis on Southwestern Pennsylvania art and artists. The Museum also offers an impressive schedule of temporary exhibitions of American art – both nationally-travelling and those organized in house – as well as events and community-oriented educational programming for all ages.

The Artists Who Teach Gallery, celebrates the talent
of artists who teach in southwestern PA.

I enjoy these smaller art museums. I find them more accessible and a lot more my style.

A view into the Post-1950s Gallery.

The museum’s collection includes the works of famous American artists like Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and many others.

The piece in front is Parade to the Baptism, 2013, Vanessa German, mixed media.

Westmoreland focuses on the art of southwestern Pennsylvania, so you notice quite a few Pennsylvania landscapes by artists such as George Hetzel, Charles Linford and Joseph Woodwell.

In addition, there’s gallery space dedicated to powerful scenes from the region’s coal and steel industry.

The Center for Creative Connections offers an opportunity to create landscape layouts that explore how areas within southwestern Pennsylvania developed from rural to industrial societies, a build-a-bridge activity that challenges you to build some of Pittsburgh’s common bridge styles, and a stop-motion animation activity that allows you to make artwork come alive by animating a selection of backgrounds and characters from our paintings. There’s even a large drawing glass that inspires you to be an artist and create fun, full-length portraits of your friends and family.

This is what makes this particular museum pop. It’s cozy and small enough for kids to quickly walk through — getting a taste of art, without becoming bored. And then there’s the fun part, encouraging them to experiment with perspective and composition, and become artists themselves.

It’s also worth noting that Greensburg is in the midst of a cultural renaissance. In the span of a few years, there has been a renovation of the historic Palace Theatre, the construction of the new Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, Seton Hill Visual Arts Center, and the transformation of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, which recently underwent a major renovation and expansion. As part of the Museum’s expansion, a new green space was added for the community, providing opportunities for the public to gather.

The Thomas Lynch Tiffany Window, 1905, Louis Comfort Tiffany, copper foiled and plated glass.

Getting there: 221 N Main St, Greensburg, PA 15601

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Wednesday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., evening hours from 5 – 7 p.m.; closed Mondays, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Website: https://thewestmoreland.org/

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Westmoreland American Art Museum

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