Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting works of art for the people of Washington County and citizens from the quad-state (MD, PA, VA, WV) region, the WCMFA is recognized as one of only four accredited Museums in the State of Maryland, by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum’s private collection includes over 7,000 works of art.

The Museum is open to the public six days a week, 1,828 hours a year and schedules 1,008 hours of educational programs and events each year or 55% of the time the Museum’s doors are open to the public. The Museum serves over 50,000 visitors every year including 10,000 school students and another 15,000 who visit the website. Lectures, concerts, films and docent tours for adult groups are central to the museum’s programming for adult audiences, while programs for young people include not only the free Saturday morning art class for children 6 to 12, but also fee-based art classes, and family art events. The Museum annually showcases over 20 themed exhibitions, 80 educational workshops and 25 lectures and concerts.

The Museum has for over 80 years provided Saturday morning art classes for children, thus educating three generations of Washington County citizens. Educational programs support community members with special needs including: mentally and physically disabled, hearing impaired, and economically disadvantaged as part of a larger mission-driven commitment to provide broad based arts education.

The WCMFA supports regional artists and artisans through exhibition and teaching opportunities, and is a key partner in expanding opportunities for the local community to learn about and participate in the arts. WCMFA is the only public art museum in a 65-mile radius and serves as the regional art museum of Western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania, and northwestern Virginia – most counties in this area are part of the Federal Appalachian Regional Commission. The Museum provides access to a nationally recognized art collection to all members of the public. To visit a comparable museum, local residents would travel 1.5 hours to either Baltimore, MD or Washington, DC.