Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Hagerstown, MD

301-739-5727

http://www.wcmfa.org/

 

Resource Library articles and essays honoring the American experience through its art:

Ian Hornak: Transparent Barricades (8/20/13)

Nineteenth Century American Art (3/1/11)

Keepsakes of the Beloved: Portrait Miniatures and Profiles 1790 to 1840; with essay by Elizabeth Johns (2/4/11)

 

Mourning the Losses of the Civil War; article by Elizabeth Johns (5/17/10)

The Unwritten War: A Visual Story of the Civil War Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War (9/8/09)

Robert Ecker: Mezzotints and Quirauk Mountain Paintings (8/28/08)

Ellen Lanyon: A Wonder Production (6/27/08)

 

Designing for Victory 1914-1945 (12/13/07)

Visions of the Susquehanna (11/19/07)

The Moran Family of Painters: Edward, Leon, Thomas, Mary & Peter Moran (4/26/05)

Regional Artists from the Permanent Collection of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (3/11/04)

 

Nineteenth Century Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (3/11/04)

N. C. Wyeth's Christmas in Old Virginia (1/30/04)

Retrospective Exhibition of the Paintings of Ben L. Summerford (1/30/04)

Birds & Blossoms (1/30/04)

 

William H. Singer, Jr.; essay by Robert E. Preszler (12/22/03)

Some Thoughts on the Painting of William H. Singer, Jr.; essay by William H. Gerdts (12/22/03)

Artists of the Salmagundi Club from the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Permanent Collection (12/20/03)

Urban Scenes from the Permanent Collection of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (12/20/03)

 

American Prints from the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Permanent Collection (12/20/03)

Frederick Stuart Church: Holiday Illustrations from the Horst Collection (12/20/03)

Ship to Shore (7/23/03)

Mountains to the Sea Exhibition at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (7/23/03)

Elizabeth O'Reilly Exhibition at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (7/23/03)

 

American Prints: 1920-1950 at The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (8/15/00)

The Snallygaster School (2/10/99)

Portraits by the Peales and their Contemporaries (2/11/98)

Americans Abroad (2/11/98)

Ceramics by Scott Jones (2/11/98)

 

Hagerstown Artists Exhibition (12/10/97)

Kevin MacDonald Exhibition (1997)

Ship to Shore (1997)

Bronze Sculpture by Bart Walter (1997)

Aaron F. St. John Paintings (1997)

American Landscapes (1997)

 

Watercolors from the Permanent Collection (1997)

Jenkins: Watercolors from Maryland to Maine (1997)

Charles Santore Children's Illustrations (9/11/97)

 

Thanks to the generosity of William and Anna Singer, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts opened on September 16, 1931 as the focal point of Hagerstown's beautiful City Park. The Museum specializes in 19th and 20th century American art and holds over 6,000 pieces in its permanent collection.

This "crown jewel of Washington County" has been recognized as one of the finest small museums in the United States. The Museum offers complimentary studio art courses, lectures, films, chamber music concerts, and exhibitions from its permanent collection and traveling shows to the people of Washington County and visitors to the quad-state (MD, PA, VA, WV) region.

A gift of William, Henry and Anna Brugh Singer, the Museum was incorporated by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1929. A remarkable couple, the Singers also founded the Singer Museum in Laren, Holland, and the Singer Collection in the Vestlandske Kunstindustrimuseum (Permanenten) in Bergen, Norway. Mrs. Singer was a native of Hagerstown and her husband was from Pittsburgh, where his family was prominent in the steel firm of Singer & Nimick, Inc. As expatriates, the couple lived abroad where Mr. Singer painted landscapes in the post-impressionistic manner. They patronized many European and American artists and collected furniture, as well as European and Asian antiques.

In discussing the establishment of the Museum, Mrs. Singer noted that it would give "the younger generation a fuller appreciation of joy and beauty than had been afforded me." The Singers formed the initial collection with over 100 works of art, which serve as testimony to their artistic inclinations and demonstrate the sophisticated spectrum of their collecting interests. The art they donated serves as an enduring and enriching legacy to the Museum.

The Museum is located in the middle of Hagerstown City Park, easily accessible from Interstates 70 and 81. Please see the museum's website for hours and fees.

 

Why was this sub-index page prepared?

When Resource Library publishes over time more than one article concerning an institution, there is created as an additional resource for readers a sub-index page containing links to each Resource Library article or essay concerning that institution, plus available information on its location and other descriptive information.

See our Museums Explained to learn about the "inner workings" of art museums and the functions of staff members. In the exhibitions section find out how to get the most out of a museum visit. See definitions for a glossary of museum-related words used in articles.

To help you plan visits to institutions exhibiting American art when traveling see Sources of Articles Indexed by State within the United States.

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Our catalogues provide many more useful resources.

American Representational Art has links to dozens of topics.

Distinguished Artists is a national registry of historic artists.

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