SAMA to open Bedford satellite in the fall

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art announced Monday that it will open a branch in Bedford, Bedford County, in the fall.

The museum will occupy the Anderson House at 137 E. Pitt St. in downtown Bedford. It was built in 1814 by John Anderson and originally housed the Allegheny Bank of Pennsylvania, the first bank west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Retrofitting and refurbishing the building to bring it to museum standards will begin soon. The museum will have six galleries, rotating exhibitions, conference and meeting spaces and will display Anderson House memorabilia.

The expansion acknowledges the growing importance of Bedford County, said James Cayce, president of the museum’s board of trustees.

“It is a reflection of our commitment to the sustainability of the arts and the arts-in-education, artist-in-residence and museum/health care partnership programs in the areas we serve,” he said in a press release.

The Pittsburgh firm Pfaffman + Associates was hired by SAMA to do a feasibility study. Attendance is estimated at 8,000-10,000 annual visitors with a yearly economic impact of more than $2 million.

“The American Alliance of Museums states that cultural tourism is a $192 billion industry,” said G. Gary Moyer, SAMA executive director. “According to the U.S. Travel Association, cultural tourists stay 53 percent longer and spend 36 percent more money than any other kind of tourist. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has reported that every