A former rehabilitation center building on Watch Hill Road in Westerly, Rhode Island, has been transformed into the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism (WMAI), which opened to the public featuring 11 galleries showcasing works by renowned artists including Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent. The marine blue exterior of the 20,000-square-foot building houses a sleek, modern museum with large windows overlooking the adjacent Pawcatuck River, creating views that appear like framed works of art.
The museum was established by Westerly natives Dr. Thomas P. and Cynthia D. Sculco, philanthropists who have supported the arts throughout their lives. Nearly all paintings displayed in the galleries come from the Sculcos' personal collection of approximately 150 works, which they have amassed over four decades of collecting. Only one work in the museum was donated by someone other than the Sculcos.
The WMAI focuses on detailing the origins of Impressionism in Europe and how it evolved into an American art form, featuring paintings created between the 1880s and 1920s. Museum Director Catherine Shotick explained that while most people are familiar with French Impressionism and major French artists like Claude Monet, American Impressionism has taken a backseat to its European counterpart. "So we hope to bring it to the forefront and show it was truly an incredible movement in America," Shotick said. Thomas Sculco emphasized their goal of having visitors "step back and look at the quality and the excellence and the passion that went into these paintings."
Dr. Thomas Sculco has built a highly successful career as an orthopedic surgeon, serving as director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center and surgeon-in-chief emeritus at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. His numerous honors include receiving the Arthritis Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Cynthia Sculco, a 13th-generation Rhode Islander, works as an adjunct associate professor of nursing at New York University's Rory Meyers College of Nursing, has served on the advisory board of the New York University College of Nursing, and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Rhode Island.
The Sculcos primarily live in New York City but also maintain a home adjacent to what is now the WMAI. After Apple Rehab closed its Westerly location in 2021, Thomas Sculco recalled that developers wanted to build condominiums and other developments on the site. "My wife and I looked at it. We were looking at other locations potentially to put the museum, but it was the perfect place," he said. While not disclosing the specific cost of the project, Thomas Sculco acknowledged it was expensive, stating, "We did not scrimp on anything in terms of the museum. It's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."
The museum essentially serves as a legacy for the couple, who wanted to give back to their hometown. "With their families both local, we wanted to give back to the town. We thought it would be a great asset for the town, to attract people to Westerly and the cultural things it offers," Thomas Sculco explained. "So that's why we did it. Every dollar was well spent, and we were more than happy to do it." The couple established a nonprofit foundation that will own the museum.
Construction on the building was completed in May, with the paintings installed in June. Shotick then spent time creating the wall text for the exhibitions. The museum team was fortunate to work with Dan Kershaw, senior exhibition designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who consulted with the Sculcos and Shotick on site. Kershaw introduced them to the hanging rail system they now use, which allows paintings to hang from rails around the top of the walls instead of requiring nails in the walls, making it much easier to switch out paintings. The team also spent a day with Kershaw selecting paint colors for the walls.
The WMAI building sits on 2½ acres of land, with Centerbrook Architects working on the project and Justin Hedde serving as the chief architect. The basement level is not open to the public, but the single main floor houses all 11 galleries along with additional spaces for programming and education.
When Shotick was hired in 2023, she began studying the Sculcos' collection and identifying its strengths. She discovered recurring themes and stories throughout the works, noting numerous seascapes and harborscapes, as well as many paintings connected to Cape Ann and the Rockport area of Massachusetts. While the WMAI features well-known artists, Shotick believes the collection's greatest strength lies in artists who aren't famous today but deserve significant recognition. "Incredible artists, just as talented as the big names. They are these little hidden gems that Tom and Cynthia picked up during their 40 years of collecting – big gems, too. We can't wait for visitors to come and learn about those artists and the incredible talents they have," she said.
One example of these lesser-known talents is Walter Griffin, who painted in Old Lyme in the early 1900s alongside Hassam and was greatly inspired by French Impressionism. "Eventually, though, he went off into his own realm of creativity and style of painting," Shotick explained. The connection to Old Lyme is significant, as the Florence Griswold Museum there is famous for its American Impressionist works, located on the property where Florence Griswold's boarding house attracted artists who helped develop American Impressionism. The Florence Griswold Museum recently hosted a mini-exhibition of 12 paintings from the WMAI, where Shotick gave a presentation. "We'll certainly collaborate more as we go forward," she said.
The museum features an event space at one end with sweeping views of the Pawcatuck River, where the museum will host programming but not rentals or weddings. At the opposite end of the building, a room dubbed the Learning Center is designed for smaller groups, where the museum recently held docent training and where Shotick will conduct small presentations.
Each gallery focuses on a different aspect of Impressionism, beginning with one that situates viewers in the late 1800s and explores the roots of French Impressionism. The subsequent gallery examines the characteristics of American Impressionism, featuring work by Louise Upton Brumback, another underrecognized artist who primarily created beach scenes and waterscapes. The museum displays her painting of Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, with Shotick praising the "incredible" brushstrokes in the work.
Another gallery is devoted to Cape Ann, Gloucester Harbor, and Rockport. "Cape Ann is such a draw for artists. It's still considered an artist colony today," Shotick noted. In Rockport, a major attraction is a small red fishing shack that juts into the harbor, featured in several paintings displayed next to each other on a WMAI wall. This red fishing shack, according to Shotick, "has become known as Motif 1. It's the most painted building in America."
A gallery focusing on the Ogunquit Art Colony features Charles Woodbury, who "was very well known in his day, a really appreciated artist in his day, but unfortunately is forgotten about today," Shotick explained. Woodbury's teaching philosophy emphasized painting "in verbs, not in nouns," which is reflected in the sense of movement in his works, including the water depicted in a piece at the WMAI. The museum also displays a portrait of Woodbury created by John Singer Sargent.
In addition to the grand gallery featuring harborscapes and seascapes, smaller rooms focus on various aspects including American artists painting abroad and tonalist work. Looking ahead, Shotick said the museum plans to bring in loans and has been discussing possibilities with representatives of private collections. They may also host small traveling exhibitions in the future.
Thomas Sculco expressed interest in having students visit the museum, including children from local middle and high schools as well as college students. Reflecting on the completed project, he said, "We've been planning it for years. There are a lot of little things in order to make it work. It turned out extremely well, so we're very happy with it." The museum operates Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering timed-entry tickets priced at $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, students with valid ID, and veterans, with free admission for children under 18 and museum members.
