Museum Turns Off Lights in Protest

The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is turning off its lights to bring attentions to the fight in Harrisburg over arts funding. The museum turned off the lights in the main floor galleries from 11:00am to noon Wednesday and will add an hour each day until the lights are off for 5 hours Sunday. Museum Director Judy O’Toole says if there is no new budget that includes funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts by then the museum will start the process all over again next Wednesday. Under the budget proposal being debated in Harrisburg, funding for the Council will be eliminated and the staff will be let go. O’Toole says she understands that cuts need to be made but a complete elimination of the Council is not acceptable. She says it is very hard to revive a state program that is terminated and without the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts there will be no organization dedicated to the promotion of the visual arts in the state. She says that would be a “tragedy” and calls the budget situation in Harrisburg a “crisis.” The Westmoreland Museum of American Art gets a small percentage of its budget from the Council. O’Toole says it helps pay for electric bills and other items that other funders are not interested in supporting. She says the real reason for the darkening of the galleries is to bring attention to the larger statewide picture. O’Toole says some exceptions will be made for individuals who make a special trip for a first time visit to the museum.