Regional survey exhibitions, vetted by a curator or juror, offer a considered opportunity to see what the artists who live among us are thinking, and what subjects and techniques they're interested in.

"The Westmoreland Museum of American Art Juried Biennial," which continues through June 8, is such a show, with expression ranging from solid to quirky. Though the museum is in Greensburg and the competition was open to artists working within a 125-mile radius of the town, almost half of the 80 exhibiting artists are residents of Pittsburgh, illustrating the close connection the Westmoreland has with the city.

From more than 500 works submitted by 172 artists, 83 pieces were chosen by William Keyse Randolph, The Pauline Gill Sullivan Associate Curator of American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.

As Randolph, formerly of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, points out in his juror statement, a sense of place -- from river barges to churches -- is backbone to the exhibition. "Pennsylvania artists have a long tradition of choosing their state as subject matter. ... I am gratified to see that contemporary Pennsylvania artists still find the state's rural and urban imagery of interest."

The strength of this show is painting, ranging from Anna Marie Legler's colorful abstracted landscapes ("Gentle River" and "Country View"), reminiscent of Wolf Kahn, that blend water, land and sky into a vanishing memory, to the Post-Gazette's Daniel Marsula's first-rate realist interpretation of the Clairton Coke Works, "Morning Steam," a portrait of an industry, and by extension, its people -- muscular, rooted, coursing in the dawn of a new day.

Raymond Sokolowski's narrative of place, "South 18th St., C. 1949 Pittsburgh, PA," immortalizes the everyday in the tradition of Samuel Rosenberg and John Sloan. Joyce Perry's large (48 by 60 inches) tactile oil, "524 Oxford Blvd." -- a black, white and gray depiction of a couple working silently in a late '50s era kitchen -- probes darker emotional states. Henry Craig's watercolor, "Dusk," a small-town bar with neon signs glowing into a winter eve, demonstrates adroit use of the medium.

Landscape becomes electrified by daring yet subtle surges of color in Ralph Welsh's "Top of the Hill" and Douglas Wynn's "Stigmatical Chac. Mool." A celebratory relationship with paint and brush also infuses Marjorie Arnett's "Midsummer" and Ronald Romano's "Metropolis," fluid abstract marriages of color, texture and form.

Most visually intoxicating is Paul Binai's "Red Rain," two figures reduced to tarry black silhouettes with overcoats and umbrellas against a furious orange-red sky. They hold hands but seem to be on the verge of parting ways.

While there is spotty sculpture and photography presence, these media are solidly represented in wall pieces by David Ludwig ("Structure #308") and Kevin O'Toole ("290-07"), and Richard Stoner's photograph "Grout Pond, Vermont." Along with Binai, they are among the region's premium artists, consistently rich and evocative.

Other noteworthy photographs are Dave Hammaker's "Solitude," a man in a fog-isolated boat, and Stephen Lai's "Panoramic View," a fresh look at Frank Lloyd Wright's oft-recorded Fallingwater.

Also memorable are Philip Rostek's mysterious "Elephant," the leviathan on its way to becoming a relic in the darkening forest (and a spectacular example of the right way to frame a work), and Kathleen Dlugos' enigmatic "The Shape of July 15, 2007," which recalls layers of history or of skin.

Kit Paulsen's "Demo Derby," here an airy carnival event, is a subject well worth mining, perhaps next in a way that emphasizes the sport's roughness and danger. Angela Pasquale's fanciful crocheted sculptures engage and elicit smiles, as does "Whitesand Island," but work better as pedestal than wall pieces.

It's impossible to assess how reflective the art in any exhibition is of that submitted vs. the juror's taste, so one can't draw grandiose conclusions about a region's artistic expression from any one show. But this third Westmoreland Biennial confirms the presence of committed and accomplished artists here, as well as allowing a look at a range of emerging and experimental work.

The museum is at 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Exhibiting artists Gloria Hersch and Bernadine Saint-Auguste will present the noon Brown Bag Lecture today on their work and processes. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays and until 9 p.m. Thursdays. Suggested donation is $5; children under 12 and students, free. Details: 724-837-1500 or www.wmuseumaa.org.

Artist Tom Sarver's live-in installation/performance work, The Tom Museum, is closing its doors Saturday. One of the most original artworks to appear in Pittsburgh in recent decades, the project was launched under the auspices of the Mattress Factory and is located a few doors down from the museum at 410 Sampsonia Way, North Side.

You still have a chance to tour it Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or during the 7 to 10 p.m. closing party. Details: www.tommuseum.com.

John R. Lane will retire at the end of this month from the Dallas Museum of Art, where he's served as director for nearly a decade. Lane was director of Carnegie Museum of Art from 1980 until 1987, when he co-curated the 1985 Carnegie International. He left the Carnegie to become director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a post he held until 1997.

The Summer Lecture Series has begun at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, 5472 Penn Ave., Friendship.

The lectures by internationally known glass artists are free, informal and open to the public.

They start at 6 p.m. on the following dates: Tonight, Ross Richmond; June 4, Michael Schunke and Judith Schaechter; June 25, Dave Walters and Janusz Pozniak; July 2, Jason Forck; July 16, Rob Scavuzzo; July 23, Jacqueline Mendelson, Motavenda Melchizedek and Gail Stouffer; July 30, Pat Bako; and August 6, Scott Darlington.

For information and description of artists' work, call 412-365-2145 or visit www. pittsburghglasscenter.org.

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council has been selected to administer a new $100,000 Bank of New York Mellon Audience Development Fund grant program according to Susan Blackman, council director of arts programs.

Most of the money will be available as direct grants, up to $5,000 each, for small- and mid-sized arts organizations. The money may be used for anything that has an impact on audience development, Blackman says.

The council expects to formally launch the program in the fall. For information, visit www.pittsburghartscouncil.org.

At 4 p.m. June 12 the Council will host a Public Forum to discuss cultural policy priorities for 2008-09 at the Heinz Hall Mozart Room, Downtown. The forum is free but registration is required at 412-394-3353 or www.proartstickets.org.