The Library and Research Center aims to educate and inform the public about the contributions of women to the visual arts by sharing its resources with library users and visitors. The Library's resources include more than 18,500 books and exhibition catalogues, periodicals, multi-media resources; and artists' books, along with the Archives on Women Artists and a number of special collections, including artists' papers.

Suzanne and James Mellor Prize

The Mellor Prize is an annual grant of $50,000 awarded to the best proposal for a scholarly book on a woman artist or subject related to the mission of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The purpose of the award is to encourage the highest quality scholarship on women artists from all time periods and nationalities and to enhance the role of the museum in shaping scholarly dialogue on women in the arts.

Resources

Clara: Database of Women Artists®
Clara: Database of Women Artists provides access through a user-friendly, searchable interface to biographic and demographic information on close to 18,000 historic and contemporary women artists from around the world.

Archives on Women Artists
The Archives on Women Artists is a collection of research files containing personal and biographic information on close to 18,000 women artists of all periods and nationalities.

Special Collections
The library has more than 20 special collections, including papers of women artists and art historians, and women's arts organizations.

Book as Art Collection
NMWA is a leader in the promotion of artists' books as an art form, contributing to the field through active collection of artists' books by women. Our collection includes more than 800 artists' books. We also support the creation of limited edition artists' books through our Library Fellows Program.

Online Catalog
The library's online catalog allows users to find bibliographical information about the books, exhibition catalogues, artists' books, and other resources in its collection.