Nmwa Exhibitions

View of the museum from outside showing the Neoclassical building from one corner. The building is a tan-colored stone with an arched doorway, long vertical windows, and detailed molding around the roof.
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Images of Conflict: Ambreen Butt and Margaret Bourke-White

Posted: May 8, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
Conflict zones have historically been male-dominated spaces, for those participating in war and struggle as well as those documenting the events. Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White and multimedia artist Ambreen Butt offer...
A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned adult woman standing next to a vintage camera mounted on legs.

The Contour of an Artist: Ursula von Rydingsvard’s Beginnings

Posted: May 1, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
For Ursula von Rydingsvard, sculpture is personal—a way to heal and process her innermost feelings. But it is also a way to connect to the outside world, to engage people...

Opening Friday: Ursula von Rydingsvard: The Contour of Feeling

Posted: March 20, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
The Contour of Feeling marks the most ambitious von Rydingsvard exhibition to date in the United States and her first solo exhibition in Washington, D.C. Featuring 26 sculptures, a wall...
A massive sculpture made of bare cedar slats and painted cedar hunks arranged vertically, flat against a gallery wall.

Connecting the Threads: Amy Lamb and Rodarte

Posted: February 7, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
A colorful portrait of a lush arrangement of flowers including poppies, peonies, roses, carnations, and more. Some flowers have small water drpolets on them and a butterfly and bee are perched on others. The image is a still life photograph, though it looks like a painting.

Connecting the Threads: Lynda Benglis and Rodarte

Posted: January 30, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
NMWA’s exhibition Rodarte celebrates the innovative American fashion house, founded by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. Explore how the dresses on view share visual appeal and common threads with works...
A close-up of a silver, metal sculpture that appears to be tied in a giant knot with crisp folds in the metal sheets.

Connecting the Threads: Joan Mitchell and Rodarte

Posted: January 23, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
A vertical, abstraction features broadly painted strokes of pale gray, lavender, and cobalt in the upper two-thirds of the canvas. The colors continue in the lower third, along with touches of green, black, and other hues, but the expressive brushwork becomes denser and chaotic.

Connecting the Threads: Audrey Niffenegger and Rodarte

Posted: January 8, 2019
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
From technique to theme, dive into five innovative works by artists at NMWA in this series, “Connecting the Threads.”

Connecting the Threads: Petah Coyne and Rodarte

Posted: December 20, 2018
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
NMWA’s exhibition Rodarte celebrates the innovative American fashion house, founded by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The dresses on view share visual appeal and many common threads with works in...
A sculpture hangs in a dark gallery. The sculpture comprises layers of melted pink and white wax that form a dress-like shape hanging from satin-wrapped chains. Its color, shape, and bumpy, lacy texture, evoke a frilly tutu, lavishly frosted wedding cake, or coral.

Modern Makers: Jess Rotter

Posted: December 4, 2018
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
L.A.-based illustrator/artist Jess Rotter collaborated with NMWA, Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, and custom design studio Third Drawer Down to create a set of paper dolls featuring Rodarte fashions.
Four light skin mannequins display fashionable gowns of varying length on a circular platform.

5 Questions with Holly Laws

Posted: September 10, 2018
Category: Nmwa Exhibitions
The fifth installment of NMWA’s Women to Watch exhibition series, Heavy Metal, is presented by the museum and participating national and international outreach committees.