The Westmoreland Expands Art Happens Project to Jeannette
About Art Happens
Art Happens is an interactive public art project developed by The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and located in Greensburg’s central business district. In partnership with the Greensburg Community Development Corporation (GCDC) and the City of Greensburg, this community project places select details of artworks from the Museum’s collection directly into the city where people live, work, and play.
In the summer of 2018, the project expanded to the city of Jeannette in partnership with the Jeannette Arts Council. See below for more information about the Art Happens expansion into Jeannette.
Working with Blue Sky Sign Co., Art Happens provides opportunities for residents and visitors alike to enjoy these “random acts of art” in the community. Residents and visitors are encouraged to take a selfie with their favorite image and use the hashtag #ArtHappensProject to share their photo on social media. The original artworks can be viewed at the Museum and Art Happens buttons, T-shirts and onesies can be purchased in the Museum Shop .
Experience the Art Happens Project for yourself by using the map below of the current sites to set out on your own art scavenger hunt!
GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (August 16, 2018) – Art Happens, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s interactive public art project, has expanded beyond Greensburg to include locations in the city of Jeannette in partnership with the Jeannette Arts Council.
The Art Happens Project places details from artworks in the Museum’s collection directly into the city streets where people live, work and play. Project coordinators work with businesses and organizations to find a complementary artwork to feature on the exterior of their building or property using durable vinyl signage material printed by Blue Sky Sign Company. The works featured in the Art Happens Project are all on view at the Museum, and participants can see these works for free.
“It was always our intention to expand Art Happens to other communities in Westmoreland County,” said Catena Bergevin, Deputy Director/Director of Advancement at The Westmoreland. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Jeannette Arts Council and other community leaders. We’ve received very positive feedback on this project and have been contacted by others who want to bring it to their neighborhoods. It has become a connector as well as a celebration of art.”
“The Jeannette Arts Council was so honored to be approached by the Museum to participate in the Art Happens Project and we couldn’t wait to get started,” said Jill Sorrels, president of the Jeannette Arts Council. “We tried to encompass our industrialized history and promising future visually through the vast collection of artwork that we could choose from at the Museum. What a fun experience it has been and we are grateful!”
The Jeannette Public Library was selected as the first Art Happens location in Jeannette, and currently features a detail from Everett Shinn’s 1943 oil painting The Green Ballet. Plans are in the works to add Art Happens sites on the fencing on the South Second Street bridge and a fence on the 500 block of Clay Avenue.
“The reaction to the dancers [from The Green Ballet] has been overwhelming and absolutely positive from both staff and patrons, some of whom have already taken their selfies and visited the Museum,” said Angela Betz, Director of Jeannette Public Library. “It has brought a much needed awareness of the library and the Jeannette Arts Council to the community. We hope this is the start of a new relationship between the arts communities of both Jeannette and Greensburg.”
About The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
Committed to stimulating imagination and innovation through great experiences with art, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is the only museum dedicated to American art in western Pennsylvania. The Westmoreland’s extraordinary permanent collection, with its strong focus on the art and artists of southwestern Pennsylvania, is complemented by an impressive schedule of temporary exhibitions— both nationally traveling and those organized in house—as well as community-oriented programming and special events. More information is available at thewestmoreland.org and on the Museum’s Facebook, Twitter
The Westmoreland receives funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the Marketing to Attract Tourism Grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.