ART! Hardcover Book Celebrates Art Collection of Westerly Museum of American Impressionism

The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism Unveils Richly Illustrated Book to Celebrate its Collection

Coinciding with the recent one-year anniversary of the opening of the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism, the museum has published a richly illustrated hardcover book to celebrate its collection. The volume, titled The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism, is authored by museum director Catherine E. Shotick.

The book provides a comprehensive, in-depth look at the works in the museum’s collection, framed within the context of the artists and the artistic traditions that shaped American Impressionism. It relates the key steps behind the museum’s founding, from the vision of its founders to the creation of a new cultural landmark designed to preserve and share an important artistic legacy.

While numerous museums across the country hold American Impressionist works, none provide a comprehensive examination of the movement’s New England roots. The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism helps to fill this gap as a unique destination for the study and enjoyment of the artists and paintings that characterize this period. Notably, the museum is the first and only museum dedicated exclusively to American Impressionism.

“This book represents an important milestone in the museum’s history,” says museum director Catherine E. Shotick. “It tells the remarkable story of how the shared passion that Cynthia and Tom Sculco had for American Impressionism became a vision for a museum, and how that vision came to life. Through its pages, readers can discover not only the extraordinary paintings in our collection but also the dedication, generosity and ambition that made this institution possible. It is both a celebration of what we have accomplished and a lasting record of the museum’s origins.

The book is printed by Puritan Press. It is available for purchase at the museum and through the museum’s website.

About the Museum

Located on Watch Hill Road, the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism, co-founded by Dr. Thomas P. Sculco and his wife Cynthia D. Sculco, spans 25,000 square feet, on a site overlooking the Pawcatuck River. It is designed for the exhibition, study and preservation of American Impressionist art from the 1880s to the 1920s. The museum opened on October 9, 2025. Its 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, Frank Benson, John Henry Twachtman and Edmund C. Tarbell.

The museum’s newest exhibition features paintings by American Impressionist artists from the Ogunquit Art Colony, one of New England’s most important artistic colonies at the turn of the twentieth century, based in Ogunquit, Maine. The exhibition, titled, When Her Eye Met the Sea: Women of the Ogunquit Art Colony, features paintings by six women artists from this period. The paintings are on loan from the Darin R. Leese Family Collection.

The 150 American Impressionist paintings currently on view at the museum comprise roughly one half of the museum’s collection acquired by the Sculcos over the past 40 years. As long-time Westerly residents, the couple support numerous cultural institutions in the area.

Besides ongoing and visiting exhibits, the museum introduced a visiting lecture series this past summer and plans to establish partnerships with schools, an internship program for college students, and collaborations with regional cultural institutions.

The museum is open to visitors Thursday through Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. For more information on the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism, including tickets and memberships, please visit: https://wmairi.org