The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
- grws269
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
One of Greensburg's shining (and free for entry!) gems is its Westmoreland Museum of American Art, located in downtown Greensburg just a short walk away from the locally beloved White Rabit Cafe and the Seton Hill campus. Our class paid them a visit on February 22 and joined a group tour led by museum docent Annie Quiggle.
After its establishment in 1949 by Greensburg resident Mary Marchand Woods, the museum has followed the times to undergo drastic cosmetic and cultural alterations. Those to visit today would notice the architectural overhaul completed in 2015-- also the year that the Museum began collecting post-1950 artwork, much of which would include February's exhibition.
The museum features rotating exhibitions curated seasonally, and one current theme running from February 9 to May 18 is entitled "Our Own Work, Our Own Way: Southern Modern Women Artists" (which for the purpose of this blog I will shorten to SMWA). This exhibition features artists such as Selma Burke, Anni Albers, Pat Passlof, Marie Hull, and many more.
Prior to this visit, I had been to the museum numerous on my own or with friends, for other Writing courses looking for creative inspiration, withe Pitt-Greensburg Chorale to promote our concerts and snag photos, and to listen to Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author Eli Saslow discuss his book "Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist." For many in the area, including myself, the museum acts as a hub for social and educational events alike, attracting those across Southwestern PA and beyond.
Now, onto the art! Quiggle was a knowledgable and courteous guide, explaining the mediums, time frames, and cultural contexts of many of the works in the SMWA exhibition as well as in an extra tour of the main museum area. In the seasonal exhibition there were a mix of 2- and 3D mediums, ranging from traditional paintings to canvas strewn with table salt or garden hose, intricately hand-woven paper, to an abstract metal poodle and a vase containing a poem. The women of this exhibition were-- and are-- innovators, often using household items to create when women's authority and ability was under constant question and their artistic spaces were still largely exclusive of the female sex.
Quiggle noted Black with Magenta, a piece dating around 1960, as appealing to her for its vivid color and contrast, mentioning also her interest in the word "magenta" to describe the painting's paler lilac tones. Quiggle, being a native of Greensburg, found her place at the museum after her career teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, reconnecting with her childhood of walking past and through the museum on her primary school commute.
Upcoming events include the usual weekend tours (happening next on May 3, from 1 - 2 pm), a Curator Talk on Marry Cassatt (May 4, from 2 - 4 pm), Art on Tap: Starry Nights (May 9, from 6 - 9 pm), an Art Maze (from June 13 - August 17), and an exhibition on Cecilia Beaux: Inventing the Modern Portrait (from June 13, 2025 to June 7, 2026).
Check out some of the SMWA currently on viewing in the gallery below, or make a trip for yourself and see the whole collection! Though I try to do justice with my photos, many of the pieces available this season are simply that much better up-close and in-person. Others in this gallery are from our subsequent walk through the Art Alley in downtown Greensburg, where numerous murals and 3D installations call home year-round.
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