A Museum of women in the arts worth visiting this year

Since its founding in the 1980s, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) has been one of Washington, D.C.'s best-kept secrets. According to legend, the museum’s founder, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, began her journey of collecting women artists in the 1970s after an eye-opening visit to the Prado Museum. While traveling with her husband, Wallace F. Holladay, the couple encountered works by Clara Peeters, an artist previously unknown to them. Upon returning home, Wilhelmina eagerly consulted H.W. Janson’s History of Art, only to find that Peeters—and all other women artists—were absent from the esteemed text.

This revelation spurred Holladay to dig through backroom storages, uncovering pieces by women artists who had been largely forgotten by history. Recognizing the underrepresentation of women’s artwork in U.S. museums and its undervaluation in the international art market, Holladay began her collection.

Her approach was driven by a series of probing questions and her innate curiosity: Was there a distinctive category of women’s art? Why were women artists missing from the prominent art textbooks of her time? What factors contributed to the exclusion or erasure of women from art history?

The building housing the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) at 1250 New York Avenue, NW was originally constructed in 1908 as a Masonic temple, a place where women were not permitted. Over the years, the structure underwent several transformations before the Holladays purchased it in 1985 and converted it into the world’s first museum dedicated to women’s creative achievements. Around the same time, activists began to scrutinize the representation of women and marginalized artists in museum collections. Susan Fisher Sterling, who started as the museum’s curator and later became its director, frequently approached galleries with a pointed question: - if there are any women artists represented.

Initially, the Holladays donated 500 art objects, forming the foundation of NMWA’s collection and inspiring others to join their cause. The recent renovation restored the building's historical beauty while enhancing its future capabilities, including expanded galleries, public spaces, and improved educational facilities. The collection is supported by individuals, families, foundations, and dedicated members of NMWA’s outreach committees—advocacy groups promoting the museum’s mission of artistic enfranchisement worldwide. Many works have also been donated by the artists themselves, reflecting their trust in the museum as a guardian of their legacies.

The museum recently completed a $70 million, two-year renovation, adding 2,500 square feet of exhibition space and expanding its galleries. The museum's sole Frida Kahlo painting holds a place of honor in the mezzanine, accessible by grandiose twin marble staircases. The permanent collection features many standout works, including a stunning Mildred Thompson, a remarkable Alma Thomas, and two notable pieces by Judy Chicago: a large Purple Atmosphere photo and a lozenge painting. Additionally, the collection includes works by Sonya Clark, Amy Sherald, Cindy Sherman, and Niki de Saint Phalle’s "Pregnant Nana, 1993," prominently displayed against a purple backdrop to greet visitors to the refurbished galleries.

The inaugural exhibition showcases a diverse array of large-scale contemporary sculptures on the second floor. This eclectic survey brings together 33 exciting artworks, some suspended from the ceiling and others as large freestanding pieces. Art & Object had the opportunity to speak with Kathryn Wat, Deputy Director for Art, Programs, and Public Engagement/Chief Curator at the NMWA, about this exhibition.