Women, Arts, and Social Change

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Women, Arts, and Social Change is a dynamic public programs initiative that highlights the power of women and the arts as catalysts for change.
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NMWA Nights

Experience NMWA Nights, our popular late-night program, on the third Wednesday of each month. Listen to a live performance, attend a tour, make art, or try a signature cocktail by our catering partner, Please Bring Chips. Each NMWA Nights event is presented in collaboration with a community partner whose work aligns with the WASC mission. Past partners include Black Art Library, Aye Girl, and SwapDC.

A man and three women all in semiformal attire talk to each other as they pose for a picture.
Attendees at NMWA Nights; Photo by Derek Baker for NMWA

Fresh Talk

Experience the intersection of art, culture, and social change with Fresh Talk, the cornerstone WASC program. Each Fresh Talk sets the stage for a conversation between influential and cause-driven artists, activists, innovators, and creators. Together, they delve into topics shaping our world today, from contemporary art practices to emerging cultural trends. After the hour-long conversation, join us for a salon-style cocktail hour where attendees can foster connections with each other and the art on view.

Fresh Talks are designed to challenge, inspire, and connect. Join us to be part of something innovative and bold, an opportunity to move culture forward.

Two women with dark colored skin sit in chairs and talk to each other with microphones.
Fresh Talk: Influence and Collecting with Myrtis Bedolla and Schwanda Rountree; Photo by Derek Baker for NMWA

Creative’s Keynote

The biannual Creative’s Keynote programs feature captivating presentations by high-profile speakers from the art and museum fields. Each program celebrates and centers trailblazers who are changing the way art and visual culture are perceived, performed, and shared. Each Creative’s Keynote is followed by a salon-style cocktail hour that fosters connections among guests and the art on view. Past speakers include curator Cecilia Alemani and art historian Katy Hessel.

Join us as we celebrate creativity, innovation, and voices that drive meaningful change in the art world and beyond.

An audience of seated people watch woman with light colored skin and medium length brown hair and a grey jumpsuit speak behind a silver and clear podium.
Katy Hessel’s talk at her Creative’s Keynote at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Makers’ Market

Enjoy the vibrant intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship at NMWA’s in-person Makers’ Markets. At these events, vendors, makers, and artists sell their products in NMWA’s Great Hall, including unique items such as homemade jewelry, handmade ceramics, and vintage finds. These lively markets, held on free-admission Community Days, offer an exciting opportunity for our audience to discover new and diverse vendors.

Visitors walk through a large marble room filled with 15 tables displaying the products of different vendors.
NMWA’s Makers’ Market; Photo by Julie Cole for NMWA

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Get advance notice of upcoming programs and events, including NMWA Nights ticket sales, with our e-newsletter!

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Volunteers perform an ID check and hand out drink tickets at the September NMWA Nights. Photo by Derek Baker for NMWA.

Program Sponsors

The Women, Arts, and Social Change public programs initiative is made possible through leadership gifts from Denise Littlefield Sobel and the Davis/Dauray Family Fund with additional support provided by Anne N. Edwards, the Revada Foundation of the Logan Family, and the Susan and Jim Swartz Public Programs Fund.