Building a new home for a beloved collection
Work is currently underway on the Worcester Art Museum’s new Arms and Armor Galleries, opening on November 22, 2025. Through innovative design solutions and immersive displays, the new 5,000-square-foot galleries will allow visitors to explore more than 1,000 objects from the Museum’s Higgins Armory Collection, the second largest of its kind in the country.
Learn more about the Arms and Armor Galleries
Image: Concept design rendering for the forthcoming arms and armor galleries. Courtesy TSKP x IKD.
Funders and Donors
- George I. Alden Trust
- Elkanah B. Atkinson Community & Education Fund at Greater Worcester Community Foundation
- Bassick Family Foundation
- Valerie B. Carey* in memory of Robert Truman Bamford
- Donald R. Codling
- Mark L. Curby in memory of Robert Truman Bamford
- Fred Harris Daniels Foundation
- Nina de Rochefort
- Melanie Demarais in honor of Jim Donnelly and Suzanne Maas
- Jim and Carol Donnelly
- Ruth H. and Warren Ellsworth Foundation
- J. Irving England & Jane L. England Charitable Trust
- Fletcher Foundation
- George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation
- Kristie Furrow and Samuel Riley
- Richard C. Gorton, Jr.
- Francis A. & Jacquelyn H. Harrington Foundation
- Higgins Armory Museum
- Bradley C. Higgins Foundation
- John W. & Clara C. Higgins Foundation
- Hoche-Scofield Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee
- Wei Huang in memory of Robert Truman Bamford
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Henry W. Keyes
- Michael and Anne* Korjeff
- Laird R. Landmann and Kathleen E. Kinney
- LLH / LHM Foundation
- The Manton Foundation
- Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, co-administered by MassDevelopment and the Mass Cultural Council
- Mildred H. McEvoy Foundation
- Dr. and Mrs. Michael Miranda
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- John Pettibone in memory of Higgins Armory Museum staff members
- Philip and Ellen Phillips in honor of Jeffrey Forgeng
- Rockwell Foundation
- Schwartz Charitable Foundation in memory of Nathan Schwartz
- William R. Short
- Ethel Socolar* in memory of Robert Truman Bamford
- Stoddard Charitable Trust
- Arthur L. Wilding-White
- Mary Louise Wilding-White Fund at Greater Worcester Community Foundation
- The Williamson Family Fund of the Community Foundation of New Jersey in memory of Margery Donnelly Dearborn
Listed in alphabetical order. As of 9/9/2025.
Key WAM Staff
- Dr. Jeffrey L. Forgeng, Higgins Curator of Arms and Armor and Medieval Art, Project Director
- Dr. Natasha Mao, Project Interpretive Fellow
- Kim Henry, Project Interpretive Fellow
- Bill MacMillan, Project Conservator – Arms and Armor
- Dr. Claire Whitner, Director of Curatorial Affairs and James A. Welu Curator of European Art
- Marnie Weir, Director of Learning and Engagement
- Aileen Novick, Manager of School, Tour, and Public Programs
- Neal Bourbeau, Group and Armor Programs Coordinator
Project Partners
- Open Door Arts
- Clark University
- College of the Holy Cross
- The Oakeshott Institute
- Worcester Public Schools
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Media Partners
- WBUR
- The Boston Globe
Accessibility and Universal Design Consultant
- Institute for Human Centered Design
Interpretation Consultants
- Megan Dickerson, Senior Manager of Exhibitions, The New Children’s Museum
- Rainey Tisdale, Independent Museum Consultant
Evaluation Consultant
- Lonnie Kaufman, Founder and Principal Researcher, Evaluation for Action
Design and Architectural Consultants
- Architect of Record: TSKP x IKD
- Exhibition Designer: TSKP x IKD
- Design Consultant: wHY Architecture
- Owner’s Project Manager: Seth Wiseman, ConForm Lab
- Construction Manager: Kaplan Construction
- Structural Engineer: Caputo & Wick
- Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer: Seaman Engineering
- Electrical Engineer: Shepherd Engineering
- Envelope Engineer: Leavitt Associates
- Fire Protection: Technical Solutions Associates
Digital Technology Consultants
- Richard Lewis Media Group, Media Designer
- Steve Hammond, Founder, Northland Creative Wonders
- Nicole Brazio, Senior UX Designer and Founder, Thryve
- Jim Olson, Director of Integrated Media, Peabody Essex Museum
Collection Consultants
- Dr. Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armor, Wallace Collection, London
- Ian Eaves, Emeritus Keeper of Armour, The Royal Armouries, H.M. Tower of London
- Erik Farrow, Director of Farrow Fine Art Gallery
- Dr. John Herrmann, Jr., Curator Emeritus of Classical Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Stuart Mowbray, Principal of Mowbray Publishing
- Dr. Rachel Parikh, Curator, Author, and Historian of South Asian and Islamic Art
- Stuart Pyhrr, Distinguished Research Curator in the Department of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dr. Thom Richardson, Curator Emeritus and former Deputy Master, Royal Armouries, Keeper of Armour and Oriental Collections
- Ethan Rider, African Weapons Specialist and Owner of ERTribal
- Dr. Christopher Spring, Emeritus Curator of African Art, British Museum
- Dr. Jonathan Tavares, Curator of Arms and Armor, Art Institute of Chicago
- Marina Viallon, École Pratique des Hautes Études
- Dr. Alan Williams, Archaeometallurgist, Wallace Collection, London
Academic Consultants
- Lorraine Attreed, Professor of History, College of the Holy Cross
- Barbara Beall-Fofana, Visiting Professor of Art History, Clark University
- Constance Areson Clark, Associate Professor of History, WPI
- Kelly DeVries, Professor of History, Loyola University
- Francisco Gago-Jover, Professor of Spanish, College of the Holy Cross
- Diana Lados, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, WPI
- Thomas Martin, Professor in Classics, College of the Holy Cross
- Malcolm Parkinson, Professor Emeritus of History, WPI
- James Powers, Professor Emeritus of History, College of the Holy Cross
- Clifford Rogers, Professor of History, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY
- Josh Rosenstock, Professor of Arts and Humanities, WPI
- Paul Russell, Professor Emeritus of History, Anna Maria College
Education Consultants
- Cindy Alberts, Plainfield Central School
- Dr. Dianne Berg, former Head of Interpretation, Higgins Armory Museum
- Kenneth Brooke, Needham High School
- Stephen Capraro, Hollis Brookline Middle School
- Susan Connelly, Hollis Brookline Middle School
- Kimberly Di Rodi, Foxborough Regional Charter School
- Dr. Carol Donnelly, Professor of Education and Early Childhood
- Graduate Program Coordinator, Worcester State University
- Eric Fries, Wilson Middle School
- Linda Honan, former Director of Education, Higgins Armory Museum
- Timmary Leary, Visual Arts Curriculum Liaison, Worcester Public Schools
- Cynthia McClelland, Thomas Blake Middle School
- Brian Zawodniak, John F. Kennedy Middle School
