Sobre
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.
With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change. The museum addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts was incorporated in November 1981 as a private, nonprofit museum. For five years before formally opening, NMWA operated from the Holladay residence, which hosted a temporary office and docent-led tours of the collection. In 1983, the museum purchased its building at 1250 New York Avenue, NW—a 78,810-square-foot Washington landmark near the White House that was constructed in 1908 as a Masonic Temple. It was refurbished and expanded in accordance with the highest design, museum, and security standards, and won numerous architectural awards.
In April 1987, NMWA opened the doors of our permanent location with the inaugural exhibition American Women Artists, 1830–1930, a survey curated by one of the country’s foremost feminist art historians, Dr. Eleanor Tufts.
Beginning in 2021, the museum began its first full renovation since 1987, adding nearly 2,500 square feet of gallery space, a new Learning Commons, and enhanced visitor accessibility.
