National Museum Of Women In The Arts Goes Big With First Exhibition Outside Historic Home
Wendy Red Star, iilaalée = car + ii = by means of which + dáanniili = we parade, … edition 1/20, 201516 Lithograph with archival pigment ink photographs, 24 x 38 in Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer.
Big checklist: 150 objects
Big names: Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, , Kara Walker, Wendy Red Star, Judy Chicago.
More big names: Louise Bourgeois, Cecily Brown, Nicole Eisenman, Jenny Holzer, Mickalene Thomas, Wangechi Mutu.
Big ambition: hosting its first off-site exhibition during the closure of its historic home for a massive renovation.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. goes big during the exhibition Positive Fragmentation: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation on view through May 22, 2022 at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center.
The shows title references a phrase coined in 1978 by feminist scholar and critic Lucy Lippard as she addressed gender discrimination in art criticism. Lippard describes positive fragmentation, or the collage aesthetic, as particularly suited to historically marginalized artists seeking to dismantle and rearrange the world as it willfully takes apart what is or is supposed to be and rearranges it in ways that suggest what it could be.
Judy Chicago, Mary Queen of Scots, 1973 Lithograph and serigraph, ed. AP 1/7, 25 x 25 in. … Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.
Only Major Museum In The World Solely Dedicated To Championing Women Through The Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs and online content, the museum inspires dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement and social change. NMWA addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today. The collections highlight painting, sculpture, photography, and video by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Mary Cassatt, Judy Chicago, Frida Kahlo, Shirin Neshat, Faith Ringgold, Pipilotti Rist, Amy Sherald and Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun.The museum building is closed for a major renovation, with plans to reopen in fall 2023. Visit for more information. During the building closure, NMWA continues its mission-based work and engages supporters and friends through a dynamic slate of online programs and events, off-site and virtual exhibitions, and digital content at .
Amenities
National Museum Of Women In The Artswashington United States
Founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. The museums collection features 5,000 works from the 16th century to the present created by more than 1,000 artists, including Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Alma Thomas, Lee Krasner, Louise Bourgeois, Chakaia Booker, and Nan Goldin, along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware, botanical prints, and artists books.
NWMA brings recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring, and researching art by women and by teaching the public about their accomplishments. To fulfill its mission, the museum cares for and displays its collection, presents special exhibitions, conducts education programs, maintains the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center, publishes a member magazine and books on women artists, and supports a network of state and international committees. NMWA also serves as a center for the performing and literary arts and other creative disciplines. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House.
Read Also: Abu Dhabi Branch Of Paris Art Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Specialty Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is located adjacent to the National Mall. The USHMM is dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history. The main exhibit spans three floors and offers a chronological narrative of the Holocaust through historical artifacts, photographs, and film footage.
Highlights
Here are some of the “must see” items at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Permanent Exhibition: The Holocaust
There’s One Week Left To Visit Before A Major Renovation Project
![National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC](https://www.museumproguide.com/wp-content/uploads/national-museum-of-women-in-the-arts-washington-dc-national-museum-scaled.jpeg)
The National Museum of Women in the Arts will close on Monday, August 9, for a two-year-long renovation project, which is set to begin this September.
The $66 million project includes enlarging galleries creating a new learning center and general updates, like improving technology and accessibility. The Great Hall and Mezzanine, which have become popular party and events spaces, are getting a refresh.
During renovations, the museum will offer online programs and events to continue its mission of championing women artists. The schedule includes art chats, virtual happy hours and conversations, and there are plans for off-site exhibitions.
Read Also: Houston Museum District Museums In Houston
Betty Boyd Dettre Library And Research Center
The Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center provides researchers with information about women visual artists from all time periods and nationalities. It is open to scholars, students, researchers, curators, museum professionals, and the general public. The LRC collection includes 18,500 volumes of books and exhibition catalogues, 50 periodical titles, and research files on 18,000 individual women artists. These files include resumes, correspondence, reproductions, articles, and other ephemeral materials. The Arts and Entertainment Network Media Library holds approximately 500 videos, DVDs, audio tapes, and other audiovisual materials, including examples of video art, interviews with women artists, documentaries, and films directed by women.
Also available to researchers are The Nelleke Nix and Marianne Huber Collection: The Frida Kahlo Papers consists of more than 360 unpublished letters, postcards, notes, clippings, printed matter, and drawings relating to the artist’s life and work. The LRC also holds artist Judy Chicagos visual archives.
In spring 2007, the LRC launched “Clara: Database of Women Artists,” a user-friendly searchable interface for biographic information on close to 18,000 historic and contemporary women artists from around the world. Since integrated within the NMWA web site, Clara has been decommissioned and is in the process of being moved.
What Topics Does The Museum Cover
With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change.
The museum addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.
Also Check: San Francisco Museum Of Art Store
Nmwa At The National Gallery: Modern Visions
They call me Redbone but Id rather be Strawberry Shortcake
Amy Sherald, They call me Redbone but Id rather be Strawberry Shortcake, 2009 Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 in. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of the artist and the 25th Anniversary of NMWA © Amy Sherald Photo by Lee Stalsworth
About The National Museum Of Women In The Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.
With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change. The museum addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.
Read Also: National Bible Museum Washington Dc
National Museum Of Women In The Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts |
Show map of Central Washington, D.C.Show map of the United States |
Location |
---|
Added to NRHP |
The National Museum of Women in the Arts , located in Washington, D.C., is “the first museum in the world solely dedicated” to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since opening in 1987, the museum has acquired a collection of more than 5,500 works by more than 1,000 artists, ranging from the 16th century to today. The collection includes works by Frida Kahlo, , Alma Woodsey Thomas, Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, and Amy Sherald. NMWA also holds the only painting by Frida Kahlo in Washington, D.C.
The museum occupies an old Masonic Temple, a building listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
New York Avenue Sculpture Project
The museum sponsored a series of installations on New York Avenue in Washington, DC from 13th Street to 9th Street, in the heart of Mount Vernon Square. The point of the effort was to bring “character” to an area where “there is a lot of good stuff going on,” due to revitalization programs in the neighborhood.
Niki de Saint Phalle‘s works, four in total, were the first in a series of installations. The installation of de Saint Phalle’s iconic pop art works was meant as a contrast to the traditional sculpture that graces the streets and squares of Washington. All five major median strips were made into “sculpture islands,” as described by National Museum of Women in the Art’s director Susan Fisher Sterling. Another inspiration for the project came from the lack of innovative contemporary art in Washington, encouraging the evolution of the area.
The project was sponsored by Medda Gudelsky, the D.C. Downtown B.I.D., the Philip L. Graham Fund, the Homer and Martha Gudelsky Family Foundation, members of the museum, and the D.C. Department of Transportation.
The works remained up for one year.
Also Check: Where’s The Titanic Museum
What Event Services Do You Offer
- Quality of serviceRating 4.9 out of 5 4.9
- Rating 4.8 out of 5 4.8
- Rating 4.9 out of 5 4.9
- Rating 4.7 out of 5 4.7
- Rating 4.7 out of 5 4.7
- Rating 5 out of 5 5.0
- Rating 5.0 out of 5 5.0
- Rating 5.0 out of 5 5.0
- Rating 5.0 out of 5 5.0
- Rating 5.0 out of 5 5.0
- Rating 5.0 out of 5 5.0
Most beautiful venue in DC
The Perfect Classic DC Wedding Venue
Artworks From Jordan D Schnitzer And His Family Foundation
![National Museum of Women in the Arts Washington DC National Museum of Women in the Arts Washington DC](https://www.museumproguide.com/wp-content/uploads/national-museum-of-women-in-the-arts-washington-dc-flickr.jpeg)
Installation view ofPositive Fragmentation: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His … Family Foundationwith work by Lorna Simpson, Caledonia Curry , Polly Apfelbaum, Barbara Takenaga, Julie Mehretu, Lorna Simpson, and Caledonia Curry .
Every piece on view in Positive Fragmentation comes from the personal collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer or the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. That name might not mean much around the nations capital, but it carries tremendous weight on the other side of the country in the Pacific Northwest where the Schnitzer family has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to a wide variety of cultural causes, primarily in Portland, OR. Those efforts began with Jordan Schnitzers mother, the citys most prominent and prolific patron and advocate for the arts dating all the way back to 1961.
That was the year Arlene Schnitzer opened Fountain Gallery of Art in Portland along with her mother and a family friend. She ran the gallery for 26 years, promoting local artists and striving to increase Oregonians appreciation for the arts. Four fourteen years she hosted a public broadcasting TV show featuring local artists and events.
Her love for art passed on to her son, Jordan, who at age 14 purchased his first piece of art from his mothers gallery. He began collecting contemporary prints and multiples determinedly in 1988 and today his collection exceeds 19,000 works including many of the most important contemporary artists.
You May Like: Museum Starry Night Van Gogh
The Wilderness Society Gallery
Specialty Museum
The Wilderness Society Gallery, located on the first floor of The Wilderness Societys national headquarters building in Washington DC, is home to an in-depth collection of Ansel Adams photographs. Ansel Adams, the world-famous landscape Photographer, was a Wilderness Society council member.
Highlights
Here are some of the “must see” items at The Wilderness Society Gallery.
- The Ansel Adams Collection
Whats Inside The National Museum Of Women In The Arts
The powerful contributions that women have made to the art world can be surveyed inside NMWA. The collection spans hundreds of years, encompassing numerous eras and seminal artists. NMWA has organized the collections by theme, letting visitors observe how certain ideas and modes of art have been in dialogue with each other across centuries.
Your journey will feature still-life paintings from the 1600s and cutting-edge photography from the 2000s. Youll be able to observe the stunning detail of a portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the intimacy of a print made by Mary Cassatt, the abstract beauty of a sculpture by Judy Chicago and Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky, with the social, cultural and political revolutions that women forged to make their voices heard serving as vital context throughout.
Recent highlights include They Call Me Redbone but Id Rather Be Strawberry Shortcake by Amy Sherald, the artist responsible for the new Michelle Obama portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, whose distinct style is evident in both pieces. Theres Sonya Clarks transcendent Afro Abe II, a U.S. five-dollar bill featuring the 16th president outfitted with the hairstyle found in the title. Locals will love a view of Rainy Night, Downtown by Georgia Mills Jessup, an interpretation of a DC street with gorgeous contrasts and shapes.
Recommended Reading: Metropolitan Museum Of Art Upcoming Exhibitions
Women Cultural Leaders: Susan Fisher Sterling Director National Museum Of Women In The Arts
By Kate Oczypok March 31, 2022 0 167
Our spring arts preview featured 20 women cultural leaders in Washington, D.C. We wanted to amplify their voices in our online newsletters, spotlighting each of them individually. Our Thursday March 31 newsletter features Susan Fisher Sterling, Alice West Director of the Museum of Women in the Arts.
THE GEORGETOWNER: D.C. should have a spring awakening of sorts after two long years of Covid. What are you most looking forward to for your institution this season?
SUSAN FISHER STERLING: I agree that well have an awakening here in Washington. At the National Museum of Women in the Arts , Im most looking forward to our March 8 virtual International Womens Day celebration and having visitors see our Positive Fragmentation exhibition a collaboration between NMWA and American University.
GEORGETOWNER: What led you to become a leader in your organization? Tell us a bit about your career trajectory and inspirations along the way.
SFS: The defining moment in my career came when I first met Wilhelmina Cole Holladay during a job interview. It was for the position of associate curator at the then-new National Museum of Women in the Arts. I found Mrs. Holladays vision to be so compelling that I resolved to help this new idea grow and flourish. Thanks to the efforts of many over the past 35 years, the museum truly has become a strong presence in our nations capital. With such a powerful mission, I felt compelled to become a leader at NMWA.
National Museum Of Women In The Arts Lends Collection Highlights To National Gallery Of Art During Building Renovation
Amy SheraldThey call me Redbone but I’d rather be Strawberry Shortcake, 2009Oil on canvas54 x 43 in.National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of the artist and the 25th Anniversary of NMWA© Amy Sherald, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Press Release
e-mail:
Washington, DCWhile the National Museum of Women in the Arts undergoes a comprehensive renovation to its historic building, 11 highlights from its collection will be loaned to the National Gallery of Art. Works by women artists including Lavinia Fontana, Eva Hesse, Frida Kahlo, Clara Peeters, and Amy Sherald have been installed throughout the National Gallerys iconic East and West Buildings. These special installations position NMWAs paintings and sculpture in conversation with works from the National Gallerys own permanent collection.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts mission to champion women artists never stops. Were offering great virtual and off-site programming while our building is closed, and were delighted that our partners at the National Gallery of Art are exhibiting NMWA collection works to share that inimitable in-gallery experience of great art, said Susan Fisher Sterling, director, National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Works on Loan
NMWA will lend 11 works from its collection, listed below by installation location:
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Also Check: Salem Ma Witch Museum Tickets
Help Us Protect The Art
Please note the museum building is currently closed for a major renovation with plans to reopen in fall 2023.
- Please dont touch the art! Help us protect the legacy of women artists by not touching the art, leaning on walls or pedestals, or running through galleries.
- Food and drink are not permitted in the galleries or Performance Hall. Drinking fountains are located by the restrooms.
- Sketching is permitted and encouraged! Please use pencils and notebooks that are 11 x 14 in. or smaller. Colored pencils, ink pens, and markers are not allowed in the galleries.