The Westmoreland Society 35 th Annual Dinner

Celebrating an important milestone, members of the Westmoreland Society gathered on December 2, 2022, for the 35th annual Westmoreland Society Dinner. After a special welcome from The Westmoreland’s Board President Helene Conway-Long, Westmoreland Society President Karen Rich Douglas officially opened the meeting thanking fellow Westmoreland Society advisory committee members Sande Hendricks, Linda McKenna Boxx and Paul Nickoloff.

Society members also gave a very warm welcome to Chief Curator Jeremiah William McCarthy attending his first annual dinner. For voting consideration, Jeremiah presented two drawings by Pakistani American artist Anila Quayyum Agha Flowers (Blue and Red Circle), 2017 and Be Still my Heart III, 2021. In a close vote, Flowers (Blue and Red Circle) won for accession to the Museum’s permanent collection. An important artist who is pushing the boundaries of sculpture and installation, Agha was profiled in June 2022 by the New York Times in a large feature on her work and practice. In the fall of 2024, The Westmoreland will organize and present an ambitious monographic show featuring large-scale light box installations, wall sculptures, and multi-layered drawings.

Prior to the dinner, attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in the galleries and enjoyed a very special look at an exciting new acquisition unveiled for the first time to Westmoreland Society members: Elizabeth Catlett’s Naima, one of her iconic sculpted heads that the artist cast in 1999. The acquisition of Naima was made possible by the Museum’s William W. Jamison II Art Acquisition Fund. (See page 6 for more information on Catlett and her work Naima.)

Founded in 1986, the Westmoreland Society is committed to supporting the permanent collection of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Through the incredible generosity of Society members, more than $39,000 was raised in response to the 2022 gala dinner!

To view a blog featuring photos from The Westmoreland Society 2022 Annual Dinner, visit thewestmoreland.org/blog.