Walk around a museum, and you’ll see all sorts of art. Perhaps you’ll spot paintings. You might see some sculptures. However, most artworks in big museums are alike in one way: They were made by men. One museum includes only art created by women. It’s the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA).
The NMWA opened in 1987 in Washington, D.C. It was the first museum dedicated to female artists. Its collection includes more than 6,000 pieces from 1,500 artists. Their works span from the 1500s to the 2020s. However, the museum building needed repairs. In 2021, the NMWA closed for . On October 21, the museum reopened!
This was the NMWA’s first major renovation. But workers did more than repair the roof of the historic building in America’s capital. They updated areas inside the museum too. The construction workers made the gallery spaces larger. And they added support so the building’s walls could hold heavier sculptures.
The NMWA is using these new spaces. When the museum reopened, it featured a new art titled The Sky’s the Limit. This collection includes work from 13 modern artists. And many of their artwork hangs from the ceilings and walls.
For example, Beatriz Milhazes’s large sculpture dangles down from the ceiling. The object is made of colorful chains, balls, and beads that sparkle. Ursula von Rydingsvard’s huge sculptures stand tall in another room. Her artwork is made from beams of carved cedar wood. One piece by Cornelia Parker shows 30 silver-plated items (including spoons and forks) hanging from wires!
Museum officials celebrated the big reopening. There was music, and artists were there to share their work. Visitors also got to explore the new Learning Commons and research center. That’s a space to read and practice art.
The NMWA helps people learn women’s stories. After all, art tells stories. If a museum mostly shows works from male artists, then stories by women are being left out. Muriel Bowser spoke about that. She’s the mayor of Washington, D.C.
“Art and artists, and the stories they tell, add so much to the and color of D.C.,” said Bowser. The leader said she was “proud” to have a museum “dedicated to uplifting and the stories of women.”
Updated October 24, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Hannah Marcum
