Stand with us for women artists!

This Women’s History Month, stand up for women in the arts by becoming a NMWA member. You’ll be recognized on our 2025 Members’ List and receive outstanding perks to bring you closer to the art.

Join today!
NMWA Tickets
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Library & Research Center

Two books, Fired Up! Ready to Go and I Was Their American Dream, rest on a tabletop, along with a small vase of pink and lavender flowers.

About the LRC

With over 25,000 books and print resources, as well as a diverse collection of rare and unique items, including artists’ books and zines, the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center (LRC) facilitates scholarship on historical and contemporary women artists. Archival collections include the Judy Chicago Visual Archive, comprising photographs, slides, negatives, and printed ephemera; personal papers of Frida Kahlo; drawings by Doris Lee; the palette and brush of Eulabee Dix; and the museum’s own institutional archives. The library also creates rotating exhibitions showcasing its collections and providing opportunities to discover and interpret primary source material.

The LRC serves researchers of all ages and levels of expertise.

 

Library Hours

Tuesday to Friday

10 am to 4:30 pm

The LRC will be closed on Friday, July 18.

Hours are subject to change.
Check the Visit page for updates

A bookshelf packed with colorful books about women artists.
Photo credit: Cameron Robinson

Online Catalog

Search the online catalog for books, periodicals, reference materials, artist books, zines, exhibition catalogues, and more.

Search Online Catalog , opens in new tab 
Photo credit: Traci Christensen, NMWA

Research Appointments

The Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center (LRC) welcomes researchers of all levels and backgrounds interested in furthering their knowledge about women in the visual arts. To request an appointment, complete the LRC Researcher Registration Form. If you are unable to complete this online form, please email lrc@nmwa.org with your desired date and research topic.

Complete LRC Researcher Registration Form , opens in new tab 
A woman with a light skin tone and blonde hair is sitting behind a glass wall by a desk. With one hand, she is holding a card and taking a closer look, with the other hand she is holding onto a box of cards.
A researcher in the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center, National Museum of Women in the Arts; Photo by Joy Asico-Smith

Library Exhibitions

Exhibitions at the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center illustrate the accomplishments and history of women in the arts through the display of primary source materials. Exhibitions showcase artist correspondence, sketches, ephemera, photographs, posters, rare books, museum archival material, and artists’ books.

View Current Exhibitions
An artist's book, opened to reveal a pop-up of many colorful flowers in a vase. The pages are dark with black writing.
Colette Fu, A Pop-up Book of Lilies, Roses, Iris, Pansies, Columbine, Love-in-a-Mist, Larkspur, and Other Flowers in a Glass Vase on Table Top, Flanked by a Rose and a Carnation, 2023; Archival pigment inkjet prints, repurposed cover and book pages, acid-free adhesives, and bonded leather, 17 1/4 x 11 3/4 x 8 3/4 in.; NMWA, Gift made possible through the generosity of the artist and a bequest from Marjorie B. Rachlin; © Colette Fu; Photo by Colette Fu

LRC Resources

Artists’ Books

From above, a partial view of a star-shaped carousel book with blue and white pages.
Learn about the LRC’s collection of over 800 unique artists’ books in a variety of mediums and formats.
Learn about Artists’ Books

Resources for Research

Explore the LRC’s selection of digital resources including on-site access to research databases like JSTOR and Oxford Art Online.
View Resources

Archives

The LRC archives serve as a locus of primary source research for curators, scholars, and students performing research on women’s contributions to the arts and the history of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
View Archives

Frida Kahlo Papers

Handwritten envelope on yellowed paper with the image of a palace, stamps, and an address.
Explore a selection of letters from NMWA’s archival collection that includes digitized scans and accessible transcriptions, bringing to life the heartfelt letters between the artist and her friends, colleagues, and beloved family.
View Frida Kahlo Letters

Judy Chicago Portal

A lilac and red, abstract flower. The inner part in red and yellow looks like a sun, while the lilac leaves are reminiscent of mountains, stacked neatly around the sun.
The Judy Chicago Research Portal unites the archives collection at NMWA with the artist’s paper archives at the Harvard Schlesinger Library and her art education archive at the Penn State University Libraries.
Explore the Portal , opens in new tab 

Contact Us

Library & Research Center

LRC on Instagram