It’s Giving Tuesday on Day 3 of our holiday countdown. Here’s a look at just one of the women’s arts organizations making a difference in our world.
The morning light slanted through tall windows that lined the second floor of the 1903 Renaissance Revival building, spilling down the marble staircase and onto the main first floor. A few dozen folding tables were set up for a craft show that was about to start, but we were there for the art — three floors of it, all created by women dating back to the 16th century.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts, in Washington, DC, is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to women in the visual, performing and literary arts — which is strange when you think about it, because aren’t we half the population so by rights shouldn’t we get half the museum space? (That’s a rhetorical question.)
Here you’ll find more than 4,500 paintings, sculptures, photography and other works of art by women you may have heard of — Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Elaine de Kooning and Sarah Bernhardt, to name a few — plus contemporary artists, including Amy Sherald, who painted former First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait, which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery just down the street.
The building itself is a beautiful backdrop to the collection, with large gallery spaces, deep hallways and a stunning facade. The artwork is plentiful and varied, and even more striking when you realize there’s not a male Dutch master among it. The impression is light, airy and refreshing — a view of the world from a familiar perspective.
The museum opened in 1987, the brainchild of founder Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, an art collector who, realizing women artists were historically excluded from art history textbooks and galleries, dedicated her work to celebrating the accomplishments of women artists of all nationalities and time periods. In addition to the art collection, the museum board sponsors educational programs for children, including the Girl Scouts, and funds research to increase representation of women in the arts.
For more information: National Museum of Women in the Arts