Our Mission
A Brief History
In 1957, the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Museum and Gordon Bailey Washburn, Director of the Fine Art Department at Carnegie Institute, formed an Advisory Board, a Central Board and a Junior Council to, as stated in the original bylaws, “further the interest of Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, and to promote its cultural and educational usefulness to the community.” That well-conceived purpose continues today.
Despite close cooperation between the three founding entities, it became increasingly clear that combining the groups would lead to a stronger and more effective organization. By 1967, the three groups had merged to form one committee named the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art (WCCMOA), having both Active and Advisory Members, as is the case today.
