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National Museum of Women in the Arts

National Museum of Women in the Arts

A photograph of a young Black girl. She is seated and wearing a blue dress with gold accents. She holds in her lap a doll, which is dressed in a gold dress and headwrap. The background is a landscape painting by Cezanne.

Now on View

Visit NMWA now through March 8 to view Tawny Chatmon: Sanctuaries of Truth, Dissolution of Lies, a powerful presentation of Chatmon’s richly layered, photography-based works.

Learn More About NMWA’s Current Exhibitions

Visit Us

Located in the heart of Washington, DC, the National Museum of Women in the Arts advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change.

Plan Your Visit
A person looks at a painting of a woman in a yellow, white, and pink dress.

The June 12th Fresh Talk: Influence and Collecting, featured Myrtis Bedolla and Schwanda Rountree. Photo by Derek Baker for NMWA.

Current Exhibitions

Tawny Chatmon

A person with dark skin tone in a black-and-gold ornate dress with gold chain details wears a wide-brimmed hat decorated with gold fringe and plants, obscuring their eyes. The background shows a cloudy sky.
Tawny Chatmon: Sanctuaries of Truth, Dissolution of Lies marks a significant evolution in the artist’s photography-based practice with the debut of selections from her latest series, “The Restoration” and “The Reconciliation”, in addition to works from her earlier series.
View Tawny Chatmon

Ruth Orkin

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.
From the Second World War through the 1970s, renowned photojournalist Ruth Orkin portrayed women breaking free from rigid gender roles. Ruth Orkin: Women on the Move presents 21 vintage photographs drawn from the museum’s collection.
View Ruth Orkin

Remix

A horizontal canvas combines collaged paper, such as a scrap of a U.S. map, comic strip, and pictographs; cloth swatches; scrawled and dripped paint; and phrases like “It takes hard work to keep racism alive” and “Oh! Zone.” The work’s title appears in red paint right of center.
Remix: The Collection showcases familiar collection favorites as well as never-before-exhibited recent acquisitions. Artworks are grouped around themes that resonate among global artists across time.
View Remix

Upcoming Events

Free Community Day

Feb 1, 10 am to 5 pm
Date: Feb, 01
Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Educator Workshop: Art 21 x NMWA

Feb 4, 7 to 8 pm
Date: Feb, 04
Time: 7 to 8 pm

Free Community Day

Feb 11, 10 am to 5 pm
Date: Feb, 11
Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Art Chat

Feb 13, 5 to 5:45 pm
Date: Feb, 13
Time: 5 to 5:45 pm

NMWA Nights

Feb 18, 5:30 to 8 pm
Date: Feb, 18
Time: 5:30 to 8 pm

Tour: Celebrating Connection

Feb 21, 12 to 12:45 pm
Date: Feb, 21
Time: 12 to 12:45 pm

Member Preview Day: Making Their Mark

Feb 26, 10 am to 5 pm
Date: Feb, 26
Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Art Chat

Feb 27, 5 to 5:45 pm
Date: Feb, 27
Time: 5 to 5:45 pm

Free Community Day: Women’s History Month Kickoff

Mar 1, 10 am to 5 pm
Date: Mar, 01
Time: 10 am to 5 pm

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Just 11% of all acquisitions at prominent American museums over the past decade were of work by women artists.
– Artnet News

What We Do

Our rotating special exhibitions showcase historic and contemporary artwork. Museum programs and events foster conversations and connections that inspire change. Our collections feature more than 5,500 works from the 16th century to today created by more than 1,000 artists.

View of a gallery with works of art installed on the walls and on pedestals.
Remix: The Collection, installation view, National Museum of Women in the Arts; Photo by Kevin Allen Photography for NMWA

Related Quote

People in the art world want to think we are achieving parity more quickly than we are.”
Susan Fisher Sterling, The Alice West Director

Advocate for Gender Equity

Historically, social and cultural systems based on false beliefs about gender have hindered artists’ power, access, and agency. Gender bias is less overt today, but contemporary women artists still face many obstacles and disparities, as well as persistent underrepresentation in museum collections and exhibitions worldwide.

Take Action
Life-sized, full-length portraits of 12 individuals form a frieze-like composition against a saturated lapis-blue background. Most of those portrayed are noted feminist artists and critics. Details from the artist's earlier paintings appear above and to t
May Stevens, SoHo Women Artists, 1977-78; Acrylic on canvas, 78 x 142 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: The Lois Pollard Price Acquisition Fund; © May Stevens; Courtesy of the estate of the artist and RYAN LEE Gallery, New York

May Stevens, SoHo Women Artists, 1977-78; Acrylic on canvas, 78 x 142 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: The Lois Pollard Price Acquisition Fund; © May Stevens; Courtesy of the estate of the artist and RYAN LEE Gallery, New York

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