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National Museum of Women in the Arts

Upcoming Exhibitions

Close-up detail of an abstract painting with very thick and gestural brushstrokes of mostly orange paint.

Featured Upcoming Exhibition

Dec 12, 2025, to Mar 29, 2026
From the Second World War through the 1970s, renowned photojournalist Ruth Orkin portrayed women breaking free from rigid gender roles. This presentation of 21 vintage photographs from NMWA’s collection tells the story of artists, military servicewomen, mothers, couples, teachers, and travelers forging new paths in the changed world around them.
View Exhibition: Ruth Orkin: Women on the Move
A black-and-white photograph of a young woman with light skin tone and brown hair wearing a black dress and a scarf and clutching a book and a bag walks down a city sidewalk. Several men watch her walk by, some standing against the wall of a nearby building, some sitting on chairs or motorcycles. A few men seem to be catcalling her.
Ruth Orkin, American Girl in Italy, 1951 (printed 1980 by Ruth Orkin Estate); Gelatin silver print, 23 x 28 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Promised gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of NMWA Director Susan Fisher Sterling

All Upcoming Exhibitions

  • Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection

    Feb 27 to Jul 26, 2026
    Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection illustrates women artists’ vital role in abstraction, showcasing work by some of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Drawn entirely from the contemporary art collection of Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg, the exhibition considers historical contributions, formal and material breakthroughs, and intergenerational relationships among women artists over the last eight decades.
    A painting featuring colorful geometric forms. Bowling-pin shaped forms with blue, red, pink, and yellow patterns line the lower half of the composition. A large abstract yellow form and black-and-white chevron stripes fill the background.

    Charline von Heyl, Dunesday, 2016; Acrylic on linen, 62 x 60 in.; Collection of the Shah Garg Foundation; © Charline von Heyl; Courtesy of the artist and Petzel, New York; Photo by Ian Reeves

  • Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution

    Apr 11 to Aug 15, 2027
    Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution is a dynamic exploration of contemporary artists’ books, works of art in book form. The exhibition encourages audiences to rethink the nature of book arts, featuring works that incorporate a wide variety of materials and formats. This is the latest edition of the museum’s hallmark exhibition series highlighting national and international artists at key stages in their careers. The series is developed through a unique collaboration between the museum and its global network of outreach committees.
    A person with curly brown hair, a white cable knit sweater, and a blue skirt reads a booklet on a black table, in front of an art work of grey and beige cloths installed on the wall.

    Attendees at the May 2024 NMWA Nights. Photo by Derek Baker for NMWA.

  • Gwen John: Strange Beauties

    Jul 30 to Nov 28, 2027
    Gwen John: Strange Beauties is the artist’s first major retrospective in more than 40 years, revealing new perspectives into her work. In bringing together John’s celebrated oil paintings with rarely seen drawings and watercolors, this exhibition illuminates her working practices, artistic breadth, and enduring legacy.
    Against a loosely painted purple-pink background, a girl with light skin tone and long light-brown hair stands with her hands clasped, looking directly out at the viewer.

    Gwen John, La Petite Modèle, ca. 1915-20; Oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 26 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay; Photo by Lee Stalsworth