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Welcome Home Welcome Home. NEWS & EVENTS / OcT–DEC 2015 Musings... We’re home! We’re home! It is hard to believe, but after two years of construction, we are moving home to The New Westmoreland! As I write this, I am sitting in our new administrative area in the renovated west wing of the Museum. All of our teams are now in several large, adjoining areas; where before we were tucked away wherever space could be found (on four floors!). We see all our colleagues as we go about settling in, finding the right space for this or that, and unpacking files, books and the like. Three Feature The galleries in the existing building have been beautifully refurbished, colors selected for the new walls and, most Exhibitions Marking wonderful of all, art is being installed once again in preparation for the return of visitors to the Museum. A good many objects will be One Grand Reopening new to people—things that we have not had room for before, old favorites which have seen a facelift, and others that are new to George Inness (1825–1894), Moonrise, Alexandria Bay, 1891, the collection. Among them will be objects Oil on canvas, 30 x 45 inches, Bequest of Richard M. Scaife from the Jannetta and Scaife collections as well as sculptures from a recently announced gift from Dr. Michael Nieland. Beginning with the Grand Reopening Celebration weekend on The new east wing and the landscaping October 24 and 25, three special exhibitions will be featured at are still works in progress, but the site specific The New Westmoreland. Planned by Chief Curator Barbara Jones sculpture by Tim Prentice, purchased by the in consort with a team of staff members, the opening exhibitions Museum’s Westmoreland Society, has been installed and is a visual marvel, reflecting are A Passion for Collecting: Selections from the Richard M. Scaife light and moving with the wind. Bequest and All About Color and Geometry: Selections from the We’re getting ready to welcome Diana and Peter Jannetta Gift of Art—both to be presented in the everyone back and planning a fantastic galleries of the new east wing—and Making The Westmoreland opening weekend on October 24 & 25. Museum of American Art, which will be on display in the renovated Check out our website for details. We can hardly wait to greet you! Robertshaw Gallery on the first floor. Working from scale models of the renovated and expanded gallery spaces, Jones designed the exhibition installations months ago while still in the Museum’s temporary quarters on Route 30, east of Greensburg. In general Judith Hansen O’Toole when planning an exhibition, Jones uses her background as an art historian The Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO along with a sensitivity to the visiting public to carefully select the specific 01 / October–December 2015 thewestmoreland.org / 02 works of art to include. She then places the it fills important gaps within the collection art within context of each other considering and includes art that complements existing such things as themes, relationships, and works. “We had very little by the Hudson date of completion as well as color, scale River School painters and thanks to Richard and many other behind-the-scenes factors. Scaife’s interest in this area, we’ve been Additionally, wall colors, traffic flow and able to fill in significantly there,” says Jones. sight lines are important considerations The Westmoreland has also been able for guiding visitors through exhibitions. to fill gaps with works by Boston school “Ultimately, what I am trying to achieve with artists (Edmund Tarbell, Frederick Bosely), the gallery installations is to tell stories American impressionists (J. Alden Weir, through the art so that people will get William Merritt Chase), and modernists a different perspective from the various (Maurice Prendergast, Guy Péne du Bois, narratives,” says Jones. Gerrit Beneker) through the Scaife bequest. A Passion for Collecting: Selections A stained glass window entitled Moon from the Richard M. Scaife Bequest features Over Cloud by John LaFarge will serve 85 works of art formerly owned by the as a wonderful companion piece to the newspaper publisher and American art Museum’s Thomas Lynch Tiffany Window, proponent Richard M. Scaife, which are now allowing visitor’s to compare Tiffany’s and a part of the Museum’s collection. After his LaFarge’s stained glass techniques. Paintings passing in July 2014, The Westmoreland with Western Pennsylvania connections, a staff learned that the Museum would be strong suite of the Museum already, include the recipient of half of Mr. Scaife’s art An Interior View of Oak Manor painted above: Willard Metcalf (1858–1925), collection; the other half was bequeathed in 1889 by American impressionist and Corner of the Garden, 1920, Oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches, Bequest to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds realist William Merritt Chase during a visit of Richard M. Scaife, 2015.80 Ford, Pennsylvania. Per Mr. Scaife’s wishes, a to the Pittsburgh home of Mr. and Mrs. below: Guy Pene DuBois (1884–1958), The Rose Madder Club, 1934, Oil on selection process involving the two museums Porter; David Gilmour Blythe’s Prospecting/ canvas, 25 x 36.5 inches, Bequest was conducted in a round-robin format Bullcreek City that depicts both the detritus of Richard M. Scaife, 2015.53 (much like a sports draft). At the conclusion and environmental damage caused by the of round one, which took place in December oil drilling boom near Oil City, Pennsylvania 2014, a total of 71 works were acquired by and the potential of getting rich quick by each institution. The Westmoreland was investing in the industry; and a large view also fortunate to receive five paintings of the Laurel Ridge by contemporary artist by the self-taught Pittsburgh artist John Charles Fagan. Kane (installed in the 20th century gallery All About Color and Geometry: nearby), bequeathed directly to the Museum Selections from the Diana and Peter by Mr. Scaife. Scaife’s collection showcases Jannetta Gift of Art is comprised of select his vast interest in American art as well post 1950’s artwork, including paintings, as illustrates the influence of his various drawings, sculpture, prints, and glass, from residences in Nantucket, Massachusetts; the gift of over 100 objects of modern Pebble Beach, California; and Pittsburgh and contemporary art promised to the and Ligonier, Pennsylvania. In California and Museum from Diana and Peter Jannetta Massachusetts, he tended to collect the in 2010. Like the Scaife Bequest, the art work of regional artists showing scenes from collection gift from the Jannettas, who are those locales. This was especially true in long-time supporters of the Museum, has had Nantucket where he surrounded himself with a significant impact on The Westmoreland’s nautical subject matter by both historical and collection. With this gift, the Jannettas have contemporary artists. A broader selection of enabled The Westmoreland to tell the American art could be found at his homes in complete story of American art from Pittsburgh and Ligonier. the 1750s through the 20th and into the Jones considers the Scaife bequest to 21st century. “What the Jannettas have be very significant to the Museum, because given us is a transformational gift that 03 / October–December 2015 thewestmoreland.org / 04 represented are James Turrell, Barry LeVa, Dorothea Rockburne, Mel Bochner, Pat Steir, Ellsworth Kelly, John McCracken; glass artists Dante Marioni, Stephen Powell and Thurman Statom; and ceramicists Warren MacKenzie and Ed Eberle. Works by photographic masters Mathew Brady, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen and Paul Strand, among others, will substantially grow the Museum’s photography collection. Finally, a commanding blown-glass Chandelier, 1995 by Dale Chihuly—a 2014 gift from the Jannettas—will hang prominently at the Museum’s north entrance. With the Grand Reopening, comes the exciting reveal of the new east wing where the All About Color and Geometry and A Passion for Collecting exhibitions will be on display. The new wing gives the Museum 3,000 square feet of temporary exhibition space and an additional 1,000 square foot gallery, which will be home to The Westmoreland’s new post 1950s permanent collection works. “A great advantage in both of these galleries is the 16 foot ceiling height which will enable us to present much larger works of art as well as more contemporary exhibitions that traditionally contain large scale works,” states Jones. has allowed us to move beyond 1950 in The third opening exhibition—Making our collection scope, something we were The Westmoreland Museum of American never able to do before,” expresses Jones. Art—provides an exclusive look at the rich “People always thought of our collections as history behind The Westmoreland Museum historical, so when they see the Jannetta’s of American Art. The exhibition celebrates large minimalist paintings by Kenneth the reopening and showcases the Museum’s Noland, the sculpture by Sol LeWitt, and the architectural history from its first design new selection of contemporary glass, it will conception in 1954 to the present. Drawings, show the community that we are seriously renderings, sketches and photographs that pushing into the contemporary realm.” have captured the Museum’s transformation The Jannetta’s gift was initiated with throughout the years will be highlighted. an interest in a sculpture by important Featured drawings include the first minimalist artist Donald Judd—Untitled, 1987, conceptualization of The Westmoreland which was on view at the Museum prior to by Sorber & Hoone Architects in 1954, a opposite: Dale Chihuly (b. 1941), Chandelier, 1995, Blown glass, the renovation and expansion project. dramatic glass and brick building design by 42 x 36 inches, Gift of Diana and Other highlights of their collection include Philip Johnson from 1955–1956 that was Peter Jannetta, 2015.6 Kenneth Noland’s tranquil shaped canvas rejected, and the east wing proposal by top: Architectural drawing by entitled Blue Wind, 1977; a luminous painting Deeter Ritchie Sippel Architects in 1985.
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