The Westmoreland Museum of American Art reopens with new exhibits, precautions in place

Voices and inquisitive eyes are filling the galleries once again at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art after a two-month closure.

With timed tickets and plenty of space, it’s like visitors have the Greensburg museum all to themselves, said Barbara Jones, chief curator.

“It’s a great opportunity to come inside where it’s warm, learn about your own history,” she said.

The museum reopened Sunday after closing to the public Dec. 12 because of restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. A planned reopening was pushed back from early January to Sunday to allow more time for the changing of exhibitions, Jones said.

A host of precautionary protocols that were put in place last year remain, including advance online registration for free admission, mask requirements, hand sanitizer stations and a daily cleaning regimen.

Lisa McGreal of the South Hills was happy to spend a chilly winter day checking out the museum for the first time.

“We wanted to get out of the house, see something different,” she said. “It’s a nice space, I like it. It’s not overwhelming; it’s not too big.”

McGreal and other visitors were the among the first to check out new exhibition “Pattern Makers” in a new collaboration between museum staff and students from the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. A smaller exhibition, “Surface-Texture-Materials,” is in an adjacent room. Jones said several new pieces were put on display in time for the reopening.

“I think we’re really thrilled that we could reopen with basically two new exhibits,” she said.

Staff members took advantage of the closure to move pieces around to give visitors something new to see in addition to the old favorites, Jones said. The museum is operating at 25% capacity and 18 ticketholders are allowed inside every 30 minutes.

“It’s wonderful to be able to see people again,” Jones said.

The Westmoreland’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Register online for advance tickets at thewestmoreland.org/visit. Admission is free.