The Westmoreland Announces Featured Exhibition The Great Search: Art in a Time of Change, 1928–1945
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The Westmoreland Announces Featured Exhibition
The Great Search: Art in a Time of Change, 1928–1945
GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (June 4, 2024) – The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is excited to announce the upcoming special exhibition, The Great Search: Art in a Time of Change, 1928–1945, on view from June 20 to December 8, 2024. This exhibition showcases works of art by notable artists, such as Milton Avery, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, and Andrew Wyeth, sharing the stage with works by lesser-known artists, like Louise Boyer and Allan Randall Freelon.
Featuring highlights from The Westmoreland’s permanent collection amplified by key loans from institutions, foundations, and private collections, The Great Search includes multiple works from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, two paintings from Art Bridges Foundation, as well as several works from the National Academy of Design. The exhibition serves as a compelling survey of American modern art, tracing the artistic landscape from the beginnings of the Great Depression through the end of World War II to spotlight the stylistic dynamism inherent in America’s visual art scene.
Chief Curator Jeremiah William McCarthy remarked on the significance of the featured artworks, stating, “Amidst this time of great change in American society, these works embody a spirit of exploration and illustrate the diverse avenues pursued by artists of the era.”
In preparation for the exhibition, The Westmoreland completed conservation of numerous works in the Museum’s collection, restoring treasures such as Virginia Cuthbert’s poignant portrait Virginia Lewis (1934) and Henry Lee McFee’s Interior with Still Life (1931) back to their original glory. Additionally, the exhibition proudly unveils recent acquisitions, including Isabel Bishop’s Gina (before 1945) and Kindred McLeary’s Gramma’s Plant’n’ (around 1942) graciously gifted by Museum members Bill and Mimi Dobson.
Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO Silvia Filippini-Fantoni expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts that brought this exhibition to fruition, emphasizing the significance of the partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and support of Art Bridges. “Through this innovative Cohort Program, we are able to bring important works of art to our Museum to share with audiences in the region for extended periods,” she commented.
Throughout the run of the exhibition, The Westmoreland will present engaging public events, including A Closer Look, a curator talk and tour with light bites and wine, a Monster Drawing Rally where artists will compete in speed competitions inspired by works in the exhibition, an Art on Tap: Drag Night Out with resident drag queen Alora Chateaux and friends, an off-site art Pub Trivia night at Stone Bridge Brewing Company, and regularly scheduled Public Tours provided by trained tour guides happening on most Saturdays from 1-2pm. Many of the events are free, but registration may be required. One may learn about these exhibition-related events and others by visiting thewestmoreland.org/events.
As diverse as the American experience itself, The Great Search celebrates the multifaceted nature of the modern art era, inviting visitors of The Westmoreland to explore and gain a better understanding of this critical period in America’s history and in the history of visual art.
This is one in a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of the Art Bridges Cohort Program.
This exhibition is also generously supported by The Heinz Endowments.
About The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
Western Pennsylvania’s only museum dedicated to American art, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is a place to share meaningful cultural experiences that open the door to new ideas, perspectives, and possibilities. The Westmoreland’s extraordinary permanent collection with its strong focus on the art and artists of Southwestern Pennsylvania is complemented by an impressive temporary exhibition schedule featuring both nationally traveling exhibitions and those organized by the Museum. Additionally, The Westmoreland presents a full slate of community-oriented events. More information is available at thewestmoreland.org and on the Museum’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. General admission to the Museum is free. The Museum’s operating hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm. One can find more information on visiting the Museum at thewestmoreland.org/visit.
About Art Bridges Foundation
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported projects that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 200 museums of all sizes and locations on nearly 900 projects across the nation, impacting over 5.3 million people, to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Collection and Partner Loan Network, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.
About the Art Bridges Cohort Program
Originated in 2018, the Art Bridges Cohort Program is committed to supporting multi-year art-sharing partnerships among museums nationwide. The program builds on Art Bridges’ mission to expand access to American art across the United States and to empower museums to broaden traditional definitions of American art. For each cohort, museum partners collaborate to build exhibitions that inspire and deepen engagement with local audiences. Sharing collections and resources, the program’s dynamic partnerships have generated over eighty exhibitions that are content rich, include in-depth educational and interpretive materials, and are designed to meet a wide range of audience interests. Additionally, presenting partners work with the Art Bridges Learning & Engagement team on programming to further deepen community engagement. The Cohort Program also fosters professional development exchanges between partners and across cohorts, facilitated by Art Bridges-supported staff at the organizing museums, including arts professionals of the Art Bridges Fellows Program.
About the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, in partnership with the city, the region, and art museums around the globe, seeks to preserve, enhance, interpret, and extend the reach of its great collections in particular, and the visual arts in general, to an increasing and increasingly diverse audience as a source of delight, illumination, and lifelong learning.
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