Current Exhibitions

Close-up detail of an abstract painting with very thick and gestural brushstrokes of mostly orange paint.

Featured Current Exhibition

Sep 20, 2024, to Jan 12, 2025
Suchitra Mattai (b. 1973, Georgetown, Guyana) layers vintage and contemporary materials into three- and two-dimensional works about identity and belonging. Drawing from personal memories as well as stories passed down through generations of her family, Mattai seeks to fill in the gaps of recorded history, focusing on the often-omitted experiences of women and people of color. Her art blends techniques of collage, painting, sculpture, and fiber arts, making visible the presence of Indian women in the history of Guyana and the Indian diaspora in the West. This exhibition pairs Mattai’s recent work with historical objects, sparking a visual conversation that questions binaries such as East and West, art and craft, and history and memory.
View Exhibition: Suchitra Mattai: Myth from Matter
A large fabric tapestry made of multicolored saris and gold tinsel mounted on a white wall. Five beaded tassels hang from the bottom of the fabric.
Suchitra Mattai, a cosmic awakening, 2023; Vintage saris, fabric, tinsel, beaded fringe, and tassels, 150 x 288 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects; © Suchitra Mattai; Photo by Heather Rasmussen

All Current Exhibitions

  • Samantha Box: Confluences

    Nov 20, 2024, to Mar 23, 2025

    Bronx-based photographer Samantha Box (b. 1977, Kingston, Jamaica) navigates social and cultural landscapes through complex images exploring race, gender, class, and sexuality. Black-and-white documentary photographs from her series “Invisible” depict New York City’s LGBTQIA+ youth of color. The series reveals community-defined spaces and chosen family bonds that work to counter her subjects’ experiences with homophobia and transphobia. In vibrant staged images, Box’s ongoing studio practice, “Caribbean Dreams,” shifts inward, as the artist articulates her own diasporic Indo-Afro-Caribbean identity through personal and historical narratives.

    A black-and-white close-up image shows the face and upper body of a dark-skinned woman as she gazes off to the side. She wears a sleeveless white shirt, chain necklace with heart pendant, and large round earrings inscribed with the word “TAURUS.”

    Samantha Box, Kristen, on 34th Street, on her way to work on the stroll, from the series “The Shelter, The Street,” 2008; Archival inkjet print, 17 x 22 in. sheet; Courtesy of the artist; © Samantha Box

  • Remix: The Collection

    Oct 21, 2023, to Oct 21, 2025

    Remix showcases familiar collection favorites as well as never-before-exhibited recent acquisitions. Artworks are grouped around themes, in some cases anchored by a medium and in others by an idea, that resonate among global artists across time, including photography, fiber works, the colors red and purple, nature, domesticity, and more.

    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.

    Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Indian, Indio, Indigenous, 1992; Oil and collage on canvas, 60 x 100 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: Members' Acquisition Fund; Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York

  • In Focus: Artists at Work

    Oct 21, 2023, to Apr 20, 2025

    Enjoy a close-up look into the practices and perspectives of eight contemporary collection artists via short documentary-style videos. Presented in NMWA’s ground-floor Long Gallery, these captivating short films welcome visitors to the renewed museum. The installation’s intimate and immersive design sparks curiosity, inspires advocacy, and encourages slow looking during visitors’ exploration of the museum. The videos will premiere throughout the year. 

    A dark gallery space with three large screens playing a video. Three tufted benches are in front of the screens. On the right wall, it says "In Focus: Artists at Work."

    In Focus: Artists at Work (installation view) at the National Museum of Women in the Arts; Photo by Joy Asico-Smith