Museums have all sorts of art. Many put paintings on display. Some show sculptures. However, most big museums show mostly art made by men. One museum wanted to change that. It includes only art created by women. That’s the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA).
The NMWA opened in 1987 in Washington, D.C. It was the first museum for female artists. The NMWA has 6,000 pieces from 1,500 artists. Some are from the 1500s. However, the museum building needed repairs. In 2021, the NMWA had to close. On October 21, the museum reopened!
This was a major . Workers did more than repair the roof. They updated areas inside the museum too. The construction workers made the gallery spaces larger. And they added support. That way, the walls could hold heavier art.
The NMWA is using these new spaces. It has a new titled The Sky’s the Limit This features 13 artists. Some of their art hangs from the ceilings and walls.
Beatriz Milhazes’s sculpture dangles down from the ceiling. Her object has chains, balls, and beads. Ursula von Rydingsvard’s sculptures stand tall too. Her artwork is made from wood. One piece by Cornelia Parker shows 30 hanging silver-plated items!
Museum officials celebrated the reopening. There was music, and artists spoke about their work. Visitors also got to explore the Learning Commons and research center. That’s a space to read and make art.
Art tells stories. And the NMWA helps tell women’s stories. 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, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Hannah Marcum
