National Museum of Women in the Arts

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C. is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Today the museum not only honors women artists of the past, but also promotes the accomplishments of women artists of the present and assures the place of women artists in the future. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Cole Holladay. Since opening its doors in 1987, the museum has amamassed a collection of more than 3,500 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and decorative art. National Museum of Women in the Arts, 5 Dec 2004 Photo by Polynova This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... National Museum of Women in the Arts, 5 Dec 2004 Photo by Polynova This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - D.C. Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

History

While traveling abroad, Mr. and Mrs. Holladay admired a 17th-century still-life by Flemish painter Clara Peeters. The Holladays later sought information on Peeters, yet the definitive college art history text (H.W. Janson’s History of Art) failed to include Peeters, or any other female artist. The Holladays then decided to make works by women the basis for their art collection, which later would become the core of NMWA’s permanent collection. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700 in the Gregorian calendar. ... Clara Peeters (1594-c. ...

Building

In 1983, NMWA purchased a landmark 78,810 sq. ft. former Masonic temple to house its works. Initially drafted by architect Waddy B. Wood, the main building was completed in 1908 and the original structure is on the D.C. Inventory List of Historic Sites as well as the National Register of Historic Places. After extensive renovations, the museum opened to the public April 7, 1987. The Elizabeth A. Kasser Wing opened Nov. 8, 1997 making the entire facility 84,110 sq. ft. Department of the Interior headquarters building from the south, completed December 17, 1936 Waddy Butler Wood (1869 - January 25, 1944) was a prominent Washington, DC based American architect of the early 20th century. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ...

Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, Founder and Board Chair

Wilhelmina Cole Holladay is the Founder and Chair of the Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Since her startling discovery that women artists have historically been omitted from collegiate art history texts, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay has made it her mission to bring to the forefront the accomplishments of these talented women through collecting, exhibiting and researching women artists of all nationalities and time periods.

Mrs. Holladay’s passion for art and her drive for change have been instrumental in revolutionizing the way we think about art. Through illuminating the talents of women artists who have been largely transparent throughout history, the impact of her work has been felt all over the world. Her concept of creating individual committees, comprised of over 1,000 volunteers from 27 states and 7 countries, has made a positive impact on the lives of others by giving educational opportunities to children through collaborations with schools and other community groups (e.g. Girl Scouts of America), as well as provided significant opportunities for adults to participate and encourage art in local communities across the globe. She has made significant contributions to the art world by raising the awareness of women as artists by showing, through her personal collection and other activities, to museums and art galleries the importance of exhibiting these wonderful and forgotten artists to the public. The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States based on the Scouting principles developed by Robert Baden-Powell. ... An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art, and usually primarily paintings and sculpture. ...

Wilhelmina Cole Holladay’s interest in art was sparked as a student at Elmira College in New York, where she studied Art History, followed by graduate work at the University of Paris. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in American Art, Who’s Who in the World, and she holds many honorary degrees and achievement awards for her notable work in the arts community. In 2006 she received the National Medal of Arts from the United States and the Legion d’honneur from the French Government. In 2007 Holladay received the Gold Medal for the Arts from the National Arts Club in New York City. Elmira College is a coeducational, comprehensive college located geographically in the Southern Tier of New York and just south of the Finger Lakes, a region covered by vineyards and fertile valleys and carved by gorges--the results of ice age after successive ice age gradually leaving its mark on the... The National Medal of Arts is an award and title bestowed on selected honorees by the National Endowment for the Arts. ... The National Arts Club is a New York City-based private arts club [...] dedicated to furthering art and artists in America. ...

Judy Larson, Director

Judy L. Larson has been director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts since September 2002. During her tenure at NMWA, she helped secure a challenge grant of $635,000 from the National Endowment of the Humanities to launch a new humanities initiative, Rediscovery to Relevance. She also played a pivotal role in earning a prestigious grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the development of Clara: Database of Women Artists™, a worldwide educational tool. Dr. Larson also co-curated “Nordic Cool: Hot Women Designers,” one of the most successful exhibitions in the museum’s history, and instituted an exhibition schedule that is both humanities based and international in scope. Dr. Larson comes most recently from the Art Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke where she served for over four years as director. Under her tenure the museum added over 20 million dollars of new acquisitions, with a special emphasis on American 19th-century art. Prior to Roanoke, Judy was curator of American art the High Museum of Art in Atlanta where she organized exhibitions on Mary Cassatt, John Twachtman, Norman Rockwell, and others. She published the first collection catalogue on American art and founded an active support group for the American department. Larson received both her BA and MA in Art History from UCLA and pursued her Ph.D. at Emory University in the Institute of Liberal Studies. Her scholarly pursuits have involved projects with the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. She has lectured and published on many aspects of American 19th-century art and culture. High Museum, Atlanta. ... Self-portrait (1878) by painter Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. ... The White Bridge, ca. ... Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was a 20th century American painter. ... Binomial name Ucla xenogrammus Holleman, 1993 The largemouth triplefin, Ucla xenogrammus, is a fish of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus Ucla, found in the Pacific Ocean from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Palau and the Caroline Islands to Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Christmas Island), and the... Emory University is a private university located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Glenbow Museum is Western Canadas largest museum, with over 93,000 square feet (8,600 m²) of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbows collection of over a million objects. ... For the periodical, see Nineteenth Century (periodical). ...

Collection and Exhibitions

Beginning in 1987 with American Women Artists, 1830-1930, NMWA has presented more than 200 exhibitions which include: Julie Taymor: Playing With Fire: Nov. 16, 2000–Feb. 4, 2001, Grandma Moses in the 21st Century: March 15, 2001–June 10, 2001, Places of Their Own: Emily Carr, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo: Feb. 8, 2002–May 12, 2002, An Imperial Collection: Women Artists from the State Hermitage Museum: Feb. 14, 2003–June 18, 2003, Nordic Cool: Hot Women Designers: Apr. 23, 2004–Sept. 12, 2004, Berthe Morisot: An Impressionist and Her Circle: Jan. 14, 2005–May 8, 2005, Alice Neel’s Women: Oct. 28, 2005–Jan. 15, 2006, Divine and Human: Women in Ancient Mexico and Peru: March 3, 2006–May 28, 2006, and Dreaming Their Way: Australian Aboriginal Women: June 30, 2006–Sept. 24, 2006. Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is a critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning American director on Broadway and in film: she is known for her visual flair and brilliantly colorful costuming choices. ... Emily Carr Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist and writer. ... Georgia Totto OKeeffe (November 15, 1887—March 6, 1986) was an American artist. ... Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter who depicted the indigenous culture of her country in a style combining Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism. ... Berthe Morisot in a portrait by Édouard Manet, 1872 Berthe Morisot (January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was an Impressionist painter. ... Dana Gordon by Alice Neel, 1972 Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 – October 13, 1984) was an American portrait painter. ...

The permanent collection currently contains works by nearly 1,000 artists. Among the earliest works is Lavinia Fontana’s Portrait of a Noblewoman, ca. 1580. Other artists represented include: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Louise Bourgeois, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Rosalba Carriera, Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Catlett, Louisa Courtauld, Petah Coyne, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Elaine de Kooning, Lesley Dill, Helen Frankenthaler, Marguerite Gérard, Nan Goldin, Nancy Graves, Grace Hartigan, Frida Kahlo, Angelica Kauffman, Käthe Kollwitz, Lee Krasner, Marie Laurencin, Judith Leyster, Maria Martinez, Maria Sibylla Merian, Joan Mitchell, Gabriele Münter, Elizabeth Murray, Alice Neel, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keeffe, Sarah Miriam Peale, Lilla Cabot Perry, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Rachel Ruysch, Elisabetta Sirani, Joan Snyder, Lilly Martin Spencer, Alma Thomas, Suzanne Valadon, Chakaia Booker, and Elisabeth Louisa Vigée-Lebrun. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552-August 11, 1614) was an Italian painter. ... Louise Bourgeois (born December 25, 1911, Paris) is an artist and sculptor, whose work has been strongly influenced by the surrealists, abstract expressionism and minimalism. ... Lola Alvarez Bravo (1907 - 1993) was a Mexican photographer. ... Rosalba Carriera, self-portrait 1715 Rosalba Carriera (October 7, 1675 – April 15, 1757) was a Venetian Rococo painter. ... Self-portrait (1878) by painter Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. ... Elizabeth Catlett Mora (born April 15, 1915) is an African American sculptress and printmaker. ... Louisa Courtauld, née Ogier, (1729-1807) was an English silversmith. ... Louise Emma Augusta Dahl (November 19, 1895 in San Francisco, California – December 11, 1989) was a photographer, known primarily for her work for Harpers Bazaar with fashion editor Diana Vreeland. ... Elaine Marie de Kooning (12 March 1918 - 1 February 1989), was an abstract expressionist and semi-realistic painter. ... Lesley Dill, an artist born in 1950, Bronxville, New York, USA. She received a B.A. in English in 1972 from Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut, USA), a Masters from Smith College (North Hampton, Massachusetts, USA), and a Masters of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art (Baltimore, USA). ... Helen Frankenthaler (born December 12, 1928) is an American post-painterly abstraction artist. ... The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1986). ... Nancy Graves (1940-1995) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and sometimes filmmaker known for her focus on natural phenomena like camels or maps of the moon. ... Grace Hartigan (1922- ) is an Abstract Expressionist painter. ... Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter who depicted the indigenous culture of her country in a style combining Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism. ... Maria Anna Angelica Kauffmann (October 30, 1741–November 5, 1807) was a Swiss painter. ... Käthe Schmidt Kollwitz (July 8, 1867 - April 22, 1945) was a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work offered an eloquent and often searing account of the human condition in the first half of the 20th century. ... Jackson Pollock gets the big stone and Lee Krasner gets the small stone in Green River Cemetery in Springs, New York Lee Krasners painting Cool White (1959) Lee Krasner (October 27, 1908 - June 19, 1984) was an influential abstract expressionist painter in the second half of the 20th Century. ... Marie Laurencin photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949 Marie Laurencin (October 31, 1883 — June 8, 1956) was a Parisian painter and engraver. ... Judith Leyster (1609–1660) was a female Dutch artist, who painted in a variety of genres, including genre subjects, portraits and even still lives. ... Maria Martinez (1887 – 1980) (born Maria Antonia Montoya) was a Native American artist whose creations reflect the Pueblo people’s legacy of fine artwork crafts using pottery. ... Maria Sibylla Merian in old age. ... Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) was a ‘Second Generation’ Abstract Expressionist painter. ... Gabrielle Münter (1877 - 1962) was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. ... Elizabeth Murray (born 1940) is an American artist. ... Dana Gordon by Alice Neel, 1972 Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 – October 13, 1984) was an American portrait painter. ... Louise Berliawsky Nevelson (1900 Kiev - 1988) was a U.S. (Russian-born) sculptor. ... Georgia O’Keeffe in Abiquiu, New Mexico, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1950 Georgia Totto OKeeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist, widely regarded as one of the greatest modernist painters of the 20th century. ... American, 1800-1885 The youngest daughter of the American painter James Peale, Sarah Miriam Peale was the leading portrait painter in Baltimore and St. ... Self-Portrait (1892) Lilla Cabot Perry, (January 13, 1848 – February 28, 1933), was one of the first American artists to embrace impressionism during the late 19th century. ... Rachel Ruysch, Still Life of Flowers (1689) Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) was a Dutch artist who specialized in still-life paintings of flowers. ... Image:Lilly Martin Spencer. ... Alma W. Thomas (1891–1978) was an African American color field painter. ... Suzanne Valadon (September 23, 1865 – April 7, 1938) was a French painter. ...

Public Programs

NMWA hosts educational programs for all age groups to teach the public about the artistic accomplishments of women. Programs include monthly Family Days with free museum admission, and Role Model Workshops that connect teenagers with accomplished women working in the art world. The free Shenson Chamber Music Concerts support the museum’s mission of recognizing women in all areas of the arts by featuring woman musicians throughout the year. Past performers include the Ahn Trio, Arianna and Eugenia Zuckerman, Ingrid Fliter, Sharon Ibsin and Rachel Barton Pine. NMWA’s literary programs showcase women writers by bringing in authors such as Susan Vreeland, Lisa See, Maxine Hong Kingston, Naomi Shihab Nye and Joyce Carol Oates. In addition, NMWA offers weekly film screenings of works by respected women directors and screenwriters including Maya Angelou, Barbara Hammer, Cheryl Duyne, Eva López Sánchez, Miranda July, Bette Gordon and Julie Taymor. The Library and Research Center (LRC) houses a collection of 18,500 volumes of books and exhibition catalogues, as well as periodicals and limited edition artists’ books. In late 2007, the LRC will launch Clara: Database of Women Artists™; an internet database containing biographical information on over 18,000 women artists. Cover of an Ahn Trio album. ... Ingrid Fliter (born September 23, 1973) in Buenos Aires began her piano studies in Argentina with Elizabeth Westerkamp. ... Rachel Barton Pine Rachel Barton Pine (born October 11, 1974) is a violinist from Chicago. ... Lisa See is a Chinese-American author. ... Maxine Hong Kingston Maxine Hong Kingston (湯婷婷; born October 27, 1940) is an American writer. ... Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet and songwriter born in 1952 to a Palestinian father and American mother. ... Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American author and the Roger S. Berlind 52 Professor in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University, where she has taught since 1978 ([1]). She serves as associate editor for the Ontario Review, a literary magazine, and... Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Johnson April 4, 1928)[1] is an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. ... Barbara Hammer is a lesbian filmmaker in the genre of experimental films. ... Miranda July Miranda July (born February 1, 1974) is a performance artist, musician, writer, and film director. ... Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is a critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning American director on Broadway and in film: she is known for her visual flair and brilliantly colorful costuming choices. ...

Operations

The museum is located at 1250 New York Avenue and H Street NW. The closest Washington Metro stations are Metro Center or McPherson Square stations. The museum is open Monday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sundays noon–5:00 p.m. New York Avenue is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House in Washington, D.C. It is a major east-west route in the citys Northwest and Northeast quadrants and connects downtown with points east and north of the city via the John Hanson Highway and... The H Street Corridor is a commercial district in Northeast Washington, D.C. It was one of Washingtons earliest and busiest commercial districts, but after World War II, the neighborhood went into decline. ... The Washington Metro, or simply Metro, is the rapid transit system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Capital Beltway. ... Metro Center is the central hub station of the Washington Metro in the District of Columbia. ... McPherson Square is a Washington Metro station in Washington, DC on the Blue and Orange Lines. ...

External links

• National Museum of Women in the Arts

Coordinates: 38°54′00″N, 77°01′45″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...