About the museum and building
![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.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NWMA_Shoot_Photo_81-804x1024.jpg)
History
The museum’s founders, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay, started collecting art in the 1970s, just as scholars and art historians were beginning to discuss the underrepresentation of art by women and various racial and ethnic groups in museums.
Among the first to apply this approach to collecting, the Holladays committed themselves to assembling art by women. By 1980, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay began to devote her energies and resources to creating a museum that would showcase women artists.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts was incorporated in November 1981 as a private, nonprofit museum.
Building
In 1983, the museum purchased its building at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, a Washington landmark near the White House that was constructed in 1908 as a temple for the Masons, an organization that did not allow women members. In 1987, after extensive renovations, NMWA opened with the inaugural exhibition American Women Artists, 1830–1930, a survey curated by one of the country’s foremost feminist art historians, Dr. Eleanor Tufts.
In 2021, the museum began its first major renovation since opening, which expanded gallery space, created a new Learning Commons, and increased accessibility.
Floor by Floor
Ground Floor
- Ticketing, Information, and Security Desks
- Museum Shop, reopening late Spring 2024
- Teresa Lozano Long Gallery: In Focus: Artists at Work
Mezzanine
- Collection Highlights Galleries
- Mezzanine Café, opening in 2024
Second Floor
- Exhibition Galleries: New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024, opening April 14, 2024
Third Floor
- Lorene Reeves Boyd Collection Galleries: Remix: The Collection
Fourth Floor
Dan and Gloria Logan Learning Commons:
- MaryRoss Taylor Galleries
- Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center
- Susan Swartz Studio
Fifth Floor
- Mars Performance Hall (Open for scheduled programs only)
Highlights
Drop-in Tours
Weekly drop-in tours are offered most days at 2 pm and Wednesdays at 12 pm
![A woman is standing in front of a group next to a large painting. She is gesturing with her hands as she talks, engaging the group. She has a medium-light skin tone, long hair, and is wearing a mustard yellow dress.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NMWA_GrandReOpening_Oct20-1_44630.jpg)
Additional Visitor Information
Plan Your Visit
![A modern museum gallery is photographed at a wide angle. It features several inset bays in which art of various sizes and mediums is hung. Visitors walk through the galleries and observe the works.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/0002_NMWA_08_17_23_LARGE_44336-aspect-ratio-792-436-3.jpg)
Tips for Your Visit
![A modern museum gallery is photographed at a wide angle. Visitors observe large artworks on the walls.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/0005_NMWA_08_17_23_LARGE_NEW_44338-1-aspect-ratio-792-436.jpg)
Accessibility
![Two people look up at a large peach, tan, and ivory art installation in a gallery. The person with medium skin tone and tattoos on their right arm sits in a wheelchair and wears a red t-shirt, gray pants, gray-and-black striped winter hat, and black face mask. A person with medium skin tone, long curly black hair stands behind, wearing a burnt orange tank top, black jeans, and a black face mask. A large checkered blue artwork unfolds onto the gallery floor behind the pair.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/KAP_NMWA_2020_11_15_048-_426332-aspect-ratio-792-436-1.jpg)
More Ways to Get Involved
Join
Whether you’re a current member or wish to become one, learn about the benefits of joining the museum.
Shop
Visit our online shop for a curated selection of products, including art books, apparel, jewelry, homewares, beauty items, and accessories.
Tours
Learn about the contributions of women artists and the museum’s unique mission on engaging, interactive tours for visitors of all ages.
Event Rentals
With elegant yet functional spaces, NMWA is the perfect venue for your next social, corporate or non-profit event.
See For Yourself Cards
![A sample of three informational cards on artworks in our collection that displays the artist name, artwork title, and artwork image.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SFYCards_Desktop.png)
![A sample of three informational cards on artworks in our collection that displays the artist name, artwork title, and artwork image.](https://nmwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SFY-Cards_Mobile.png)