Washington, D.C. – The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) launches its new exhibition program Women Artists Worldwide, a long-term series of exhibitions cosponsored and organized with international embassies. NMWA’s collaborations will focus on presenting important contemporary women artists from countries around the globe and increase the recognition of living women artists of all nationalities.

To kick off the series Women Artists Worldwide, NMWA presents the exhibition Mónica Castillo:
The Painter and the Body. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in conjunction with the Cultural Institute of Mexico, NMWA hosts Mexican Soul: Women in the Mexican Arts, a series of films, literary readings, music and dance performances, and the Castillo exhibition.

Comprised of ten works of art addressing issues of identity, representation, and verisimilitude,
Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body is on view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts from October 5, 2005 - January 22, 2006.

Mónica Castillo (b. 1961) is one of Mexico’s most important contemporary artists whose recognition goes well beyond her own country. She works in painting, sculpture, video, and digitally manipulates photographs. Castillo’s pieces are thoughtful, highly intellectual, and well crafted, appealing to a broad audience. She has a distinctive approach to her art making - a seemingly detached, almost scientific investigation of her subjects. Whether the subjects are leaves and flowers, the bodies of models, or her own face, Castillo dissects, performs experiments, tests physiological reactions, and explores facial topographies.

During the 1990s, Castillo rose to critical fame with her self-portraits. Using her own face as the focus for much of her art, the paintings, photographs, and objects she created can hardly be called self-portraits in the traditional sense. Her goal was not to present a truthful self-portrait or to create a record of self-reflection, but rather to use her face to explore the boundaries of representation. Often employing surprising materials and techniques for her self-portraits - bread, bronze, cotton, cow hides, stones and fingernail clippings - Castillo places her emphasis on the limits of representations and its capacity to determine our perception.

With wit and insight, in some works Castillo explores art’s ability to come as close as possible to representing a subject by painting directly on her subject. On the surface of an ear, knee, or hand, Castillo paints representations of the very same body part, and thus achieves a kind of hyperrealism of the body. In some of her photographs and videos of this process, Castillo carries the connection between painting and the body even further, touching her model’s body with a brush and eliciting physical responses to that painting gesture.

Castillo has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the Museum of Contemporary Art Sofía Imber in Caracas, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile, and the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá. Beyond the Americas, Castillo has been given solo exhibitions in Munich, New York, and Los Angeles, among other cities.

Britta Konau, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, serves as the curator for the exhibition Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body.

Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body is organized by NMWA in collaboration with the Cultural Institute of the Embassy of Mexico. In-kind support has been provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.

On Thursday, October 6 at noon, NMWA will host a Gallery Talk on Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body. Artist Mónica Castillo discusses her approach to representation as she conducts an informal tour in the exhibition. The Gallery Talk is free with museum admission. Reservations are not required.

In conjunction with the exhibition Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body, through the support of the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Washington, D.C.; the Secretariat of External Relations, and the National Council for Culture and Arts of Mexico (CONACULTA), NMWA presents Women in Cinema:
Made in Mexico, a five film cinema series honoring the works of women directors in Mexico. All films are in Spanish with English subtitles and are $5 for general admission; $4 for members, visitors 60 and over, and students. Films begin at 7p.m. Reservations are recommended.

The series begins on Tuesday, October 11 with Danzón (1991, 120 min.). Director María Novaro challenges viewers to take a new look at contemporary Mexico and the roles associated with women and their male counterparts through the tale of Julia, a single mother bereft by the disappearance of her longtime ballroom-dance partner. On Tuesday, October 18, NMWA features Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y Escaleras) (1993, 95 min.). Tracing the lifelong friendship of two young women living in Guanajuato after the revolution, director Bussy Cortés explores love and betrayal as well as political and moral corruption. The series continues on Tuesday, November 1 with Lady of the Night (Dama de noche) (1993, 97 min.), director Eva L?pez Sánchez’s story of both love and tragedy. After the sudden accidental death of Sofía’s boyfriend, her former lover and struggling writer Bruno drops everything to save Sofía. As new events unfold, however, the story takes a dynamic twist resulting in a tragic ending. Tuesday, November 8, brings Maria Novaro’s The Garden of Edén (En el Jardín del Edén) (1994, 104min.) which depicts the lives and stories of various individuals arriving in Tijuana in hopes of finding a better life. And finally, on Tuesday, November 29, NMWA closes the series with In the Country Where Nothing Goes On (En el país de no pasa nada) (2000, 98 min.). Director MariCarmen De Lara shares a hilarious satire of Mexican politics as viewers travel through double lives and double meanings in the film. Not long after corrupt businessman Enrique is kidnapped, his wife Elena and lover Rita become friends and decide he is not worth rescuing. Carefully crafted and presented with a special wit, De Lara offers viewers many laughs and clean humor.

In addition to the above programs, NMWA hosts noted Chicana/Chumasch poet Lorna Dee Cervantes on Friday, October 14 at 7 p.m. Cervantes, who reads from her new book Drive: The First Quartet, has received two NEA Fellowships, an American Book Award, and a Lila Wallace/Readers Digest Fellowship, as well as the Patterson Poetry Prize and the poetry prize of the Institute of Latin American Writers. Admission is $10 for general admission, $8 for visitors 60 and over, $7 for members, and $5 for students.

As a part of the program Mexican Soul: Women in the Mexican Arts organized with the Cultural Institute of Mexico, different events will take place at the Institute of Mexico, 2829 16th Street, NW, Washington DC 20009. The concert Mystic Songs of Ancient Mexico by Tonana will take place on October 14 at 7 p.m. Next, the concert Works by Rodolfo Halffter by Mexican pianist Silvana Santinelli will be held on October 21 at 7 p.m., and Lila Downs in concert will continue the series on October 28 at 7 p.m. In addition, the Cultural Institute will host the presentation signing of the book A Traveler’s Literary Companion with Catherine C. Mayo on November 16 at 6:30p.m. All the events are free admission (visit Cultural Institute of Mexico). Reservation line: (202) 728 1675

NMWA welcomes Quetzales Mexican Dance Ensemble on Sunday, November 13 at 1p.m. and 2:30p.m. This family-friendly program explores the rich folk traditions of Mexico as Quetzales performs a variety of traditional Mexican folk dances. The presentation will include cultural and historical information about the region, and participants will have an opportunity to learn the dance moves. The program is appropriate for ages 6-12 accompanied by an adult. Admission is free. Reservations are recommended.

About the Women’s Museum
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, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. For information, call 202.783.5000 or visit the Museum’s website at www.nmwa.org.

Admission to the Museum during the time of Mónica Castillo: The Painter and the Body will be $8 for adults, $6 for students and visitors 60 and over, and free for youth 18 and under. Members receive free admission. Free Community Days for the exhibition are the first Wednesday and Sunday of every month.