Field representatives for members of Congress visited the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on Aug. 11, as part of Invite Congress to Museum Day. From left, Nan Mann, for U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen; Misty Wanger-Gallo for U.S. Rep. Dr. John Joyce; Museum Board of Trustees member Nanette Stevens, Director of Development Wallace Lee; Robin Summerfield for U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin; Shayna Gutcho for U.S. Rep. David Trone and Executive Director Sarah J. Hall.

HAGERSTOWN, MD – Every August, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) encourages its members to invite representatives and senators to visit their museums for Invite Congress to Museum Day.

On Thursday, Aug. 11, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts hosted field representatives from congressional offices in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Attending were from Maryland, U.S. Sen. Bill Cardin representative Robin Summerfield; U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen representative Nan Mann; U.S. Rep. David Trone representative Shayna Gutcho; and from Pennsylvania, U.S. Rep. Dr. John Joyce representative Misty Wanger-Gallo. They were welcomed by museum Director Sarah J. Hall, Development Director Wallace Lee and Board of Trustees Past President Roger Fairbourn and Museum board member Nanette Stevens.

Invite Congress to Museum Day included a tour of current exhibitions and a presentation and discussion of the museum’s plans to expand and renovate the current building as well as create an education center and arts campus in the recently acquired adjacent property at the corner of Key and Highland streets in Hagerstown.

The group spent time touring Allure of the Near East: Treasures from the Huntington Museum of Art, the museum’s first large-scale exhibition of Islamic art since 1933, and hearing about the development of the museum’s exhibition program, goals for expanding the regional impact of the museum, and efforts to connect with the local community.

Also on view was the special installation The Drawing that Got Away, which presents an Old Master drawing by Italian Baroque artist Sassoferrato that museum research showed was stolen from a Munich collection in 1965. The drawing is on view before its return to Munich. Exploring Jonathan Street: History, Art, Imagination was also part of the tour, including a discussion of the importance of the exhibition as a local story with national parallels.

Museum staff discussed the economic impact of the museum to the state and the Tri-State area. Staff also thanked the field representatives for the Cares Act Funding that allowed the museum to continue its mission.

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Executive Director Sarah J. Hall discusses the Sassoferrato drawing on display with field representatives to members of Congress.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Located In beautiful City Park, Hagerstown, Maryland, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1931, the legacy of Hagerstown native Anna Brugh Singer and her husband, Pittsburgh-born artist William Henry Singer, Jr. Featuring a collection of more than 6,800 objects, the Museum has important holdings of American painting, Old Masters, decorative arts, and sculpture. The museum schedules an ambitious program of exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, and talks featuring national and international artists, as well as a yearly showcase of the art of students in Washington County Public Schools. Its free youth art education programs have served four generations of local families.

The mission of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is to provide a vibrant place for the presentation and exploration of art of lasting quality for the benefit of a diverse public through intentional art collecting, lively interpretation, diligent preservation and care, active educational programs, and opportunities for social interaction.

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is funded through support from museum memberships and annual fund donations by the public, grants from the business and corporate communities, support from Washington County, the City of Hagerstown, private foundations, and the Maryland State Arts Council.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is located at 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown, Maryland. Free parking is available adjacent to the Museum. Hours are 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Tuesday – Friday; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday; 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday; the museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.

Board of Trustees Past President Roger Fairbourn, far right, leads a tour of the Key Street site recently acquired by the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts for the development of an education center.