Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution, on view from April to August 2027, is a dynamic exploration of contemporary artists’ books: works of art in book form. Artists’ books can appear in a wide variety of formats and materials, encompassing innovative uses of paper and print, sculptural works, and much more. This exhibition encourages audiences to rethink the nature of book arts by challenging assumptions about the medium and featuring works that combine approaches and techniques.

This is the latest edition of the museum’s hallmark exhibition series featuring national and international artists whose work is underrepresented on the global stage. Presented every two to three years, the series is developed through a unique collaboration between NMWA and its widespread outreach committees. Located across the U.S. and around the globe, NMWA’s committees are volunteer advocacy groups that champion women artists beyond the museum’s physical walls. For the 2027 edition of Women to Watch, the committee network worked closely with local curators to create shortlists of 62 nominated artists. From this list of artists, NMWA liaison curator Elizabeth Ajunwa and guest curator Tia Blassingame have selected sixteen artists to exhibit their works in Washington, D.C.

The selected artists and their corresponding regions include: Golnar Adili (New York; Consulting Curator Jennifer Farrell), Indu Antony (South Asia; Consulting Curator Vidya Shivadas), Karen Beckwith (Ohio; Consulting Curator Sienna Brown), Eliza Bentz (Georgia; Consulting Curator Cynthia Nourse Thompson), Letizia “Letia” Cariello (Italy; Consulting Curator Iolanda Ratti), Kayla Clark (Wyoming; Consulting Curator Beth Venn), Candace Hicks (Texas; Consulting Curator Hannah Klemm), Sarah Hulsey (Massachusetts; Consulting Curator John Buchtel), Saya Irie (Japan; Consulting Curator Yukie Kamiya), Acadia Kandora (Arkansas; Consulting Curator Catherine Walworth), Yoonmi Nam (Greater Kansas City Area; Consulting Curator Leesa Fanning), Larissa Nowicki ( United Kingdom; Consulting Curator Welmoet Wartena), Elizabeth Pineda (Arizona; Consulting Curator Heather Sealy Lineberry), Vivian Sming (San Francisco/Northern California; Consulting Curator Anthea Black), Janelle Washington (Mid-Atlantic Region; Consulting Curator Elizabeth Ajunwa), and Suze Woolf (Washington; Consulting Curator Catherine Alice Michaelis).

Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution coincides with the museum’s 40th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the Women to Watch series, which supports the careers of women and nonbinary artists across regional and international art scenes. The 16 featured regions in 2027 include Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Greater Kansas City Area, Massachusetts, Mid-Atlantic Region, New York, Ohio, San Francisco/Northern California, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming in the U.S.; and Italy, Japan, South Asia, and the United Kingdom abroad. In honor of the anniversary, a dynamic slate of programming will celebrate past and current Women to Watch participants.

Guest curator Tia Blassingame, proprietor of Primrose Press, is a book artist, printmaker, and scholar whose work examines the intersection of race, history, and material culture through artists’ books and print media. She is associate professor of art at Scripps College, where she teaches letterpress printing and book arts and serves as director of Scripps College Press. Blassingame is the founder of the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color Collective, an initiative that fosters collaboration and engagement among BIPOC artists and scholars of book history and print culture.

Liaison curator Elizabeth Ajunwa is director of NMWA’s Library and Research Center. Since joining the institution in 2022, she has served as curator for the museum’s book arts acquisitions.