Westerly Museum of American Impressionism

10/09/2026

One year ago today, the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism opened its doors, bringing the extraordinary vision of our founders, Cynthia and Tom Sculco, to life.

As we celebrate this milestone, we are deeply grateful to our founders, and to the museum's staff, members, donors, volunteers, and visitors who have made our first year so remarkable.

Here's to many more years of celebrating and sharing the beauty of American Impressionism!
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Pictured left to right: Justin Hedde (architect) Catherine Shotick (director), Cynthia and Tom Sculco (founders)

Eric Dush Photography

10/03/2026

Staff favorite!

Elizabeth, our Visitor Services Associate, has chosen “Blossoming Trees" by Emil Carlsen as her favorite painting in the collection. She is drawn to the structure and defined shape of the tree’s trunk and branches juxtaposed with the white and pink, "cotton-candy-like” foliage. This picturesque scene against the cerulean green and scumbling in the foreground is particularly striking.

“Blossoming Trees" is on view in the New England Artist Colonies: Impressionism in Connecticut gallery.
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Emil Carlsen (1848-1932), “Blossoming Tree,” 1904. Oil on canvas. Photo:

09/28/2026

Happy 149th Birthday to Mabel May Woodward! 🎂👩‍🎨

Woodward was one of Rhode Island's leading American Impressionists. She studied and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and became the first woman president of the Providence Art Club. Paintings from her time abroad in coastal France as well as her time in Ogunquit, Maine with Charles Woodbury are represented in our collection. She is featured in our newest exhibition When Her Eye Met the Sea: Women of the Ogunquit Art Colony on view through March 7, 2027.

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1. Mabel May Woodward (1877-1945), “Untitled (Beach 2)”, c. 1910s-1920s. Oil on board. On loan from the Darin R. Leese Family Collection.
2. Mabel May Woodward, “Breton Boats at Concarneau”. Oil on canvas laid down on board.

09/14/2026

09/09/2026

After a busy summer, the museum will be on a brief vacation from September 14-23.

We will reopen on September 24 at 10:00 AM. Thank you to everyone who made our first summer season so lively!

Our hours will continue to be Thursday-Sunday 10am-4pm through the fall and winter.
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Edmund Marion Ashe (1867-1941), “On the Lawn,” 1908. Oil on board.

09/07/2026

The last of our inaugural Summer Speaker series events is this week! While all in-person tickets for this presentation have been reserved, you can still join us virtually.

On September 10 at 5:00 PM, Erin Monroe, Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, will discuss the work of Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923), a celebrated Connecticut-based painter. Monroe examines Porter’s relationship to American Impressionism through his innovative use of light, color, and surface; while also addressing the racial barriers he navigated as a Black artist working in the post–Civil War era.

The live stream is free for members and $5 for non-members. *Registration is required through our website to receive a viewing link for live stream access.
Access for this event will be available at 5pm on September 10th.

In-person tickets for this event are sold out.

09/04/2026

Only two weeks left to experience “Walter Griffin: Artistic Transformations.” 🎨🖌

Walter Griffin’s style evolved significantly throughout his career. Initially, his paintings were defined by softer details and earthy tones influenced by Realism and the Barbizon School in France. Later, he embraced Impressionism as a prominent member of the Old Lyme Colony alongside Childe Hassam. Ultimately, his mature style moved beyond Impressionism to include heavy impasto and thick application of paint using palette knives.

This gallery showcases work from each stage of the artist’s career and will be on view through September 13th.
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1. Walter Griffin (1861-1935), “Millet’s Home,” 1889. Oil on canvas.
2. Walter Griffin (1861-1935), “Provence, France,” 1926. Oil on canvas.

08/29/2026

New Exhibition Announcement 🎨

"When Her Eye Met the Sea: Women of the Ogunquit Art Colony"

Opening September 24, this special exhibition explores the women artists who found inspiration and artistic community along the coast of Ogunquit, Maine, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Featuring 17 paintings by Gertrude Fiske, Anne Carleton, Mabel May Woodward, Susan Ricker Knox, Beatrice Whitney Van Ness, and Nellie Augusta Knopf, “When Her Eye Met the Sea” highlights the important role women played in shaping one of New England’s most vibrant art colonies.

“When Her Eye Met the Sea: Women of the Ogunquit Art Colony”
September 24, 2026–March 7, 2027
All artworks generously lent by the Darin R. Leese Family Collection
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Mabel May Woodward (1877-1945), “On the Rocks,” c. 1910s-1920s. Oil on board. Darin R. Leese Family Collection

08/20/2026

We have had an amazing response to our 2026 Summer Speaker series! While all in-person tickets for this presentation were reserved during our Member Pre-Sale, you can still join us virtually!

On August 22nd, Mark D. Mitchell, Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, Yale University Art Gallery will dive into discussing expansive artistic opportunities and inspirations on the New England coast in his lecture, “Impressions of Rhode Island: Discovering the Artists of the Ocean State, 1880–1930.”

The live stream is free for members and $5 for non-members. *Registration is required through our website to receive a viewing link for live stream access. Access for this event will be available at 5pm on August 22nd.

In-person tickets for this event are sold out.
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John La Farge (American, 1835–1910), "The Muse of Painting," 1870. Oil on canvas, 49 1/2 x 38 1/4 inches, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan and Henry Walters, 1909

08/15/2026

Staff Favorite!

Jenney, our Museum Assistant, has chosen “Die Freundinnen (The Girlfriends)” by Edward Cucuel as her favorite painting in the collection. She adores the way the artist handles light; how sunlight peeks through the tree canopy creating variations of color in the foliage and cast shadows on their dresses which read as white but are painted with light yellow, purple, and blue hues.

“Die Freundinnen (The Girlfriends)” is on view in the American Impressionists Painting Abroad gallery.
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Edward Cucuel (1875-1954), “Die Freundinnen (The Girlfriends),” date unknown. Oil on canvas.