From Old Lyme to Ogunquit: New Westerly Museum Celebrates American Impressionism

WESTERLY, RI – The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism (WMAI) is now open with more than 150 paintings from a collection of roughly 300 works accumulated over the past 40 years by local collectors and philanthropists Cynthia D. Sculco and Dr. Thomas P. Sculco. 

WMAI leadership in a news release said the museum is believed to be the only in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to American Impressionism. 

Museum director Catherine Shotick said the museum’s galleries highlight works sourced from iconic artist colonies along the coast from Old Lyme to Ogunquit, ME.

The museum, which opened in October, spans 20,000 square feet on a Watch Hill Road peninsula overlooking the Pawcatuck River. It is designed for the exhibition, study and preservation of American Impressionist art from the 1880s to the 1920s. Eleven curated galleries feature works from lesser-known artists such as Walter Griffin, Louise Upton Brumback and Charles H. Woodbury, as well as renowned artists such as Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, Lilla Cabot Perry, Jane Peterson and Edmund C. Tarbell. 

The Sculcos graduated from the same class at Westerly High School, are long-time Westerly residents, and support numerous cultural institutions in the area. They began collecting art due to a shared passion for the style and vibrant colors that characterize the American Impressionist movement. 

The couple also resides in New York City where Thomas Sculco, a hip and knee replacement surgeon, is surgeon-in-chief emeritus at the Hospital for Special Surgery, professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and founder of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center. Cynthia Sculco is an adjunct associate professor of nursing at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island’s College of Nursing and has a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Thomas Sculco said the couple’s intent has been to create a cultural resource for residents and visitors to enjoy, now and for coming generations. 

“We also wanted to help visitors better understand the important role that New England and East Coast artists played in the American Impressionism movement, both those who are well known and artists we feel are worthy of greater recognition,” he said. “We believe this is the only museum in the country whose collection is dedicated entirely to American Impressionism.”

Shotick, as the inaugural director, has been integral in its planning, curation and gallery installations. She was previously a museum curator in Chicago and Oklahoma City. 

The Sculcos acquired the parcel of land for the museum in 2021. They commissioned Essex-based Centerbrook Architects & Planners to design and build a museum. Nautical blue siding and gray metal roofs blend into a natural landscape of meadow grasses and wildflowers, while skylights invite natural light into the galleries. Framed views of the land and water outside the structure were incorporated in the design to complement the Impressionist works on the walls. 

The interior galleries accommodate the museum’s permanent and visiting collections. Three wings extend from a lobby and museum shop. An event space at the end of one gallery opens to a deck facing the river, while a learning center occupies the end of a second wing. The third wing is devoted to offices and patron services. 

Besides ongoing and visiting exhibits, the museum plans to hold lecture series, establish partnerships with schools, create an internship program for college students, and collaborate with regional cultural institutions.

The museum is open to visitors Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, including timed-entry tickets and memberships, visit wmairi.org.