Washington, D.C. - The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) has acquired for its collection a signature work by contemporary sculptor Chakaia Booker entitled Acid Rain. The monumental 9-foot tall and 16-foot wide wall relief was featured in the recent 48th annual Corcoran Biennial in Washington, DC.

Booker’s Acid Rain is constructed from salvaged tires that have been twisted, turned, cut, and then ultimately molded into art. The work broadly comments on the state of the environment and also reflects upon Booker’s experiences as an African American and a woman.

“By adding this important work of Chakaia Booker’s to NMWA’s collection, we are making a bold statement about our support for contemporary artists and their place in the evolving story of women in the arts” stated NMWA Director Judy L. Larson. “The women’s museum is thrilled to be able to place Acid Rain alongside other great contemporary sculptures in our collection, including works by Louise Nevelson and Magdalena Abakanowicz.”

Born in Newark, New Jersey and currently living in New York City, Booker earned an undergraduate degree in sociology from Rutgers University in 1976 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from City College of New York (CUNY) in 1993. She has had solo exhibitions at the Neuberger Museum of Art, the Akron Museum of Art, and Marlborough Gallery, and her work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She participated in the Whitney Biennial in 2000, in the “Twentieth Century American Sculpture” exhibition at the White House in 1996, the Storm King Art Center in 2003 and 2004, and most recently in the 48th Corcoran Bienniel in Washington, D.C., as well as in many other shows in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Booker received awards from Anonymous Was A Woman (2000), The American Academy of Arts and Letters (2001), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2002), and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (2005).

The National Museum of Women in the Arts, founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Its permanent collection contains works by more than 800 artists. The Museum also conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences and maintains a Library and Research Center accessible to the public by appointment. The Museum is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday – Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday, noon - 5 pm. For information, call 202.783.5000 or visit the Museum’s website at www.nmwa.org.