A new home for a beloved collection
Worcester Art Museum’s new Arms and Armor Galleries opened on November 22, 2025. Through innovative design solutions and immersive displays, the new 5,000-square-foot galleries 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.
Funders and Donors
- George I. Alden Trust
- The Christopher and Jean Angell Charitable Fund
- 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 10/31/2025.
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
