Discovery was on juror Melissa Wolfe's mind when she selected the 89 works of the 2010 Westmoreland Juried Biennial, and discovery is what the visitor will experience in this meritorious regional exhibition at Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

There's discovery of new works by regularly exhibited artists who continue to refine their expression while staying true to their original visions. Lorraine Levy's intimate and beautifully spare "Through Windows," for example, stands well alone. But taken within her years-long study of the view from her Squirrel Hill home's upper story, the painting becomes a commentary on the passing of seasons and how one's life is threaded within that timeline.

There's discovery of artists who, while demonstrably accomplished, have not been widely seen in local shows. Maura Koehler Keeney's superb oil "Blood of Adonis" blends still life and myth in a verdant, glowing composition of rose-striated blossoms, wine red stems and lush green leaves quilted by numerous veins. Also note the trompe-l'oeil rose of Sheila Hayden Defibaugh's "Inside or Out?" and Joseph Ryznar's emotive "Waiting ... ."

There's discovery of the diversity of media, and variety within the same medium. Compare the fluidity of Ruth Richardson's abstract "Obstacles" with the restrained articulation of Barbara Jewell's "Beneath Queen Anne's Lace" across the gallery, both very fine uses of watercolor. Or consider the stylistic range of P.J. Zimmerlink's rusted, welded steel sculpture "Replica, Maximilien Robespierre's Hat, Taking Into Account Time" -- the spirit of revolution shelved? -- and Kevin O'Toole's classic, graceful cherry and bronze leaf "312-09."

Dr. Wolfe, who is curator of American art at Columbus Museum of Art, wrote broadly in her juror's statement of the "aha moment" when "something much more complicated and rich" is discovered upon close inspection of an artwork. "Such discoveries require the willingness to enter the world of the object, to explore it without pre-judgments, and to allow it to direct the dialogue."

That is good advice for viewing any art, and particularly pertinent in a large juried group exhibition where the viewer has to re-set aesthetic values between works as rewarding, but formally different, as Kathryn Strutz's fanciful collograph "Eco Maniacs" and Jane Ogren's remarkable applique portrait, "Spirits on Cloth."

The influence of artists like Cindy Sherman and Wayne Thiebaud is evident. Going one better, William D. Wade's "Yellow #8" and Kim Curinga's "Beach Umbrellas" contemporize painters Josef Albers and Martin Johnson Heade, respectively, in photographic works that update Mr. Albers' experiments with perception and Mr. Heade's low seaside horizons.

Especially notable is the regional sense of place richly evoked in more than a dozen works ranging from Ray Sokolowski's naive-style painting "The Pierogi Makers" to Constance Merriman's exquisite "Buckhannon River 3," a pastel rendering of rock and water both micro- and macrocosmic.

From the early-season light of Daniel Marsula's sensitively observed "Spring on Summer Street" to the expressive palette of Tom Leddy's woodland nook, "Looking Up," these artists find wonder in the familiar.

The exhibition also has an inherent teaching component. Exhibition planners from smaller organizations may benefit from observing lighting and display that respects each work. Artists may note differences between more and less successful work, and technicalities like framing, which can support or detract. Two artists exemplary for content and presentation are Fabrizio Gerbino ("Untitled (Tanker #2)") and Elaine Morris ("Marilyn").

The biennial is a welcome opportunity for regional artists to exhibit, and for the rest of us to see what they're doing.

The biennial continues through July 4 -- when the museum will be open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m -- at 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Admission is $5 suggested donation, under 12 free. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, until 9 p.m. Thursdays and 6:30 p.m. Fridays. For information, call 724-837-1500 or visit www.wmuseumaa.org.

The annual Open House 12:30-4:40 p.m. Sunday and 1-5 p.m. Monday at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, is an opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at this world-class research facility. It's also a good time to visit the excellent exhibition "Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, the Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection," comprising 54 works that seamlessly blend scientific accuracy and aesthetics.

Tours of the exhibition and reading room will be offered followed by curators' talks and, at 3:45 p.m., Q&As with department staff. The talks, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 2:45 p.m. Monday, will be on banksias and the botanist for whom they are named, and on artwork created on expedition.

"Botanicals" continues through June 30 on the fifth floor of the Hunt Library (free). A color-illustrated catalog is $35. Hours are 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. For a full schedule, call 412-268-2434 or visit http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu.

Be part of a live audience for an episode of "Humanities on the Road" from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Carnegie Museum of Art. Laurence Glasco, University of Pittsburgh historian, will speak on "Teenie Harris and Black Pittsburgh, 1940-1970," followed by a question-and-answer segment. Parts of that segment will be included in the fall program broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network. (Free and public; 412-622-3131.)

Response to last week's column about the 2010 Three Rivers Arts Festival included disappointment with the overall quality of the juried art show, and with the Point State Park stage sound level, which drowned out Artist Market shoppers and sellers. Inspired by the Andrew Carnegie public artwork, one reader suggested mythical steelworker Joe Magarac as a future focus. A 78-year-old reader found it taxing to walk from the Wood Street T station and says the shortened festival kept her from a second visit. To get your feedback, positive and negative, to festival planners, take the survey at www.artsfestival.net.

The nonprofit Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka reports raising more than $135,000 of its campaign Phase I goal of $218,000. To secure a $50,000 matching grant, organizers must raise an additional $13,000 by June 30. For information, visit www.vankamurals.org or call 724-845-2907.

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