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A woman with light colored skin, wearing a black top and white pants, talks to a group of people in a gallery room. She stands in front of a large, painted portrait of a woman in a high-collared red dress.
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National Museum of Women in the Arts

Ruth Orkin

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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Ruth Orkin: Women on the Move
Posted: December 16, 2025
Category: Ruth Orkin
Drawn from NMWA’s collection of works by Orkin, this exhibition explores the experience of women in public spaces, the artist’s own life, and her artful inversion of the “male gaze.”
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.

Ruth Orkin: On the Scene
Posted: September 15, 2021
Category: Ruth Orkin
Celebrated photographer Ruth Orkin (1921–1985) told stories in a single frame. Today, 100 years after her birth, a recent publication and works from NMWA’s collection illuminate her singular career.
Ava Gardner, a woman with light skin tone and wavy, short brown hair, is shown from the shoulders up. She wears a jeweled necklace and is surrounded by lights and people at a party. She looks to the side of the camera at something out of frame with a fixed gaze and slight smile.