Programs: In january 2017, the curatorial department reinstalled the collection to be hung thematically instead of chronologically. Why? Because in art museums, historical chronology has often been the enemy of women artists' inclusion due to the fact that women only begin to show up in sizeable numbers starting in the 20th century. So, rather than following standard curatorial practices that discount women's achievements or treats them as exceptional cases, nmwa's installation emphasizes connections between historical and contemporary works of art. The sections delve into topics explored by women artists through time and around the world. The thematic organization allows the museum to highlight its best works of art, and for the museum to feature contemporary art in the great hall when visitors first arrive. The feedback was instantly positive, and visitors have raved: "incredible collection! Beautiful exhibits, one eagerly anticipates what will be seen stepping from one room into the next and "excellent diversity of artists and genres. Thank you for promoting and celebrating women in the arts! " themes such as "body language and "herstory" draw connections between works across mediums and time periods. Recent acquisitionsin fy17, nmwa's collection grew by 113 objects: 56 photographs26 artists' books9 sculptures7 prints6 paintings3 silver works3 drawings3 multipleslibrary collections info:4,185 visitors to the library for both exhibitions and reading room use (this is an 87% increase in visitorship over the average of the past five years! ! )354 research and reference requests responded to197 new titles purchased, 235 titles accepted as donationcollections of zines, graphic novels, and children's books increased substantially and increased visibility in the reading roomscholarly research and projects:* hector jaimes with north carolina state university: ongoing publication project about frida kahlo* filmmakers working on documentary about frida kahlo and her father, guillermo kahlo, using letters from our kahlo collection* umd ph. D candidate to look at doris lee papers* scholar affiliated with pennsylvania state university to study judy chicago and house metaphor in art* author/scholar studying maria merianlibrary exhibitions:the library presented twice as many exhibitions in fy17 and significantly increased changing exhibition space in the librarywe welcomed both priya pereira and jessica spring as visitors to the library during exhibitions of their workfrom the "desk of simone de beauvoir" also presented three public programs: 2 reading groups (with 30 attendees total) and one panel discussion with 120 attendeesthe high point of media coverage for "from the desk of simone de beauvoir" came from npr's susan stamberg, who produced a four and a half minute story after visiting the gallery and interviewing curator and librarian, sarah osborne bender. The story ran twice during morning edition on april 16, 2017, and was posted in audio and transcript form, as well as a written article, on the npr. Org site. The show received early coverage in the washington post express, which has an average issue readership of nearly 340,000. Coverage from other publications included bust magazine and hyperallergic, a popular brooklyn-based online visual arts magazine. Writing for hyperallergic, journalist elena goukassian said, "from the desk of simone de beauvoir" is a uniquely brilliant exhibition, curated in a way that truly engages visitors and teaches us more about the subject than i would have thought possible in a museum setting. " library archives:inventoried, housed, and expanded digitization on collection of over 1100 items related to the museum's building and renovation to support preservation of the buildingreceived first significant deposit for the judy chicago visual archive, photos and contact sheets documenting the creation of the dinner party digital asset management and digitization:in summer of 2016, we implemented our first digital asset management system for the museum, which we called betty in honor of our patron, betty boyd dettre. 17,518 assets are currently in betty. There are currently 64 users accounts. There have been 78,004 views and 8,612 downloads. Because of betty, in-house digitization efforts have increased tremendously* approximately 1,129 photos and documents from the institutional archives have been digitized and uploaded to betty, including installation photos from past exhibitions, photos of past events, photos of the construction and restoration of the building, architectural drawings and the frida kahlo letters* all 121 issues of the women in the arts newsletter and magazine have been digitized and are text searchable in betty* 376 new images of art in the collection from the artists files have been digitized and uploaded to betty* image rights documents are linked to corresponding photos of artwork making them easily accessible results of betty access:* the digitization of the past newsletters and magazines has aided researchers, identification of people in events photos, and information about past exhibitions and art in the permanent collection* photos of past events and exhibitions available in betty aided in the creation of the slideshow shown at the 30th anniversary spring gala* photos of artwork in current exhibitions has made the sharing of these photos with press and vendors quick and easy* betty has been an incredible aid to users searching for specific photos of artwork, events, exhibitions, public programs and other types of assetswikipedia art+feminism edit-a-thonon sunday, march 12- 44 attendees, 39 editors worked to create 6 new articles for women in the arts and to edit and improve 83 articles for women in the arts. Nmwa received coverage on wtop and a sizable article in the washington citypaper http://www. Washingtoncitypaper. Com/arts/museums-galleries/blog/20854995/a-dc-museum-tries-to-make-wikipedia-less-sexist
all expenses incurred to prepare, transport, protect, install, and de-install any special art exhibitions are included in this category. During the fiscal year, the museum had the following exhibitions. She who tells a story: women photographers from iran and the arab world april 8-july 31, 2016 more than 70 photographs explored cultural landscapes and confronted preconceptions. Alison saar in print june 10-october 2, 2016 prints and sculptures showcased saar's interest in history, identity, and culture. "alison saar's stories are too personal to neglect, too universal to ignore. "-huffington postno man's land: women artists from the rubell family collection september 30, 2016-january 8, 2017artists in no man's land focused on images of the female body and the process of making. "still, in 2016, when women artists continue to be starkly undervalued and underexhibited, nmwa's exhibition is a welcome oasis-one made possible only through the focused efforts of artists, curators, and savvy patrons like the rubells. "-washington city paperwanderer/wonderer: pop-ups by colette fu | october 14, 2016-february 26, 2017 fu's immense, sculptural pop-up books combine landscapes, fairy tales, and folklore. Terrains of the body: photography from the national museum of women in the arts | january 18-april 16, 2017 photographs and video by 17 artists were on view at the whitechapel gallery in london. The exhibition was sponsored by the committee uk friends of nmwa. "there's a sense of women artists reclaiming their own representation. "-time out, on terrains of the bodynew ground: the southwest of maria martinez and laura gilpin | february 17-may 14, 2017 pottery by maria martinez and photographs by laura gilpin illuminate the midcentury southwest. "[maria] martinez's work recalls the pueblo tradition of black-on-black pottery, while [laura] gilpin's captures the people and landscapes that influenced such art. "-washingtonianborder crossing: jami porter lara february 17-may 14, 2017 hand-built and pit-fired clay sculptures resemble an icon of modernity-the plastic bottle. "the exhibition's title references the crossing of borders both political and geographical, from the ancient to the ephemeral. "-washington diplomatchromatic scale: prints by polly apfelbaum march 10-july 2, 2017 chromatic scale featured apfelbaum's prints with bright colors and abstract motifs. Revival june 23-september 10, 2017in celebration of nmwa's 30th anniversary, revival illuminated women working in sculpture, photography, and video who use spectacle and scale for expressive effect. "the common theme among [works in revival] isn't a set of ideas or emotions, but rather the intensity of the reactions they trigger in the viewer. "-washington city paperinstitutional lenders to exhibitionsshe who tells a storyabraaj capital art prize 2011museum of fine arts, bostonalison saar in print hirshhorn museum and sculpture gardenno man's landrubell family collection, miaminew groundthe philbrook museum of artborder crossingfidelity investments corporate art collectionrevival solomon r. Guggenheim museumrubell family collection, miamithe metropolitan museum of artmuseum of fine arts, houstonpennsylvania academy of the fine artsnorth carolina museum of art, raleigh
education and interpretation related to exhibitions included:social mediafacebook42,084 likes (increase of 7,982)twitter43,016 followers (increase of 22,500)instagram23,485 followers (increase of 14,675)blog88,085 views (increase of 5,651 views)#5womenartists"what is the reason for this gross gender imbalance? . . . Follow #5womenartists to keep up with the conversation online and remember, representation matters. "-usa todaythe "can you name #5womenartists? " campaign received a gold muse award from the american alliance of museums. This media & technology award in digital communities honored the campaign's growth and community engagement. " 11,000 people joined the campaign, including 520 organizations from 30 countries and all seven continents (41% more organizations than last year)" nearly 500 people took the buzzfeed quiz "which of these 5 women artists are you? (part two)"" participants shared more than 17,800 tweets, more than 4,500 instagram posts, and more than 80 blog posts" the "frida kahlo" video was watched nearly 800 times. " more than 50 local, national, and international news outlets published articles about the campaign" the #5womenartists campaign won the 2017 american alliance of museums gold muse award for digital communities in a category with influential institutions, including the new york botanical garden (silver), the field museum (bronze) and the royal ontario museum (honorable mention). In addition, staff proposals for presentations about this campaign were selected for the american alliance of museums annual conference in 2017 and the museum computer network conference in 2016. Editorials for huffpost: in addition, nmwa has increased its visibility and outreach and established itself as a leader in its field with an ongoing series of editorials for the huffpost platform. Launched under director susan fisher sterling's moniker with topics such as "what we're doing about gender inequality in the arts," these editorials are promoted through nmwa's multiple social media platforms and boosted with paid facebook advertising. This particular editorial had 1,300 likes on the huffington post page and 570 facebook likes with more than 175 people sharing the editorial content with friends and family. Instameets:the museum's social media working group has hosted instameets, initiated and managed by the communications and marketing manager and the digital editorial assistant. Instameets, which are private tours conducted before public hours for social media influencers, are a great way to welcome young, diverse and social media-savvy audiences willing to share photos and information about the museum with their social media followers, which can be in the thousands. Presentations/conferences:nmwa staff proposals for presentations on the #5womenartists campaign were selected for the american alliance of museums annual conference in 2017 and the museum computer network conference in 2016. In december 2016, director susan fisher sterling was asked to participate on the art basel miami panel "why is gender still an issue? " she explained with a resounding yes that we do need a museum specifically for women artists and that nmwa must act as an advocate for women artists. In march 2017, nmwa's chief curator kathryn wat spoke at the association of independent photography art dealers fair on the panel "women in the photo world now" to discuss the celebrated exhibition terrains of the body: photography from the national museum of women in the arts on view in london at whitechapel gallery. Engaging audiencesjuly 2016nmwa's education team hosts its seventh annual art, books, and creativity institute for teachersoctober 2016book artist colette fu leads a pop-up book workshop and delivers the second annual book arts lectureseptember 2016the second annual fresh talk: righting the balance program focuses on body politics in performance art, film, and theaterfebruary 2017the 19th season of shenson chamber music concerts kicks off with violinist catherine manoukianmarch 2017in honor of women's history month, participants gather to improve wikipedia articles about women in the artsjune 2017 after a fresh talk about women in comics, attendees enjoy cocktails and conversation"the talk gave me a lot to think about, especially about how creativity can really change society. "-fresh talk attendeewomen, arts, and social change "after hearing the artists speak tonight, i am inspired to empower myself and the women around me. "-fresh talk attendeefresh talk - the signature program of the women, arts, and social change initiative, fresh talks feature curated conversations with innovators in the arts and other fields. " liz ogbu & swoon-how do we build to better? | october 26, 2016" righting the balance: how can the arts advance body politics? | november 13, 2016" ann hamilton and emily pilloton-how can makers change the world? | march 29, 2017" how can the arts inspire environmental advocacy? | may 21, 2017" who are the new superwomen of the universe? | june 14, 2017cultural capital - program partnerships with leading d. C. -area organizations connect the museum with new audiences for collaborative programs. This year, partners included: " march on washington film festival " fringe festival " arttable" washington national opera" environmental film festival" 50/50 dayshenson chamber music concerts led by artistic director gilan tocco corn, the 19th season of concerts featured: " catherine manoukian, violin | february 7, 2017" william bolcom cabaret songs with the university of cincinnati college-conservatory of music singers and pianist lydia brown | april 19, 2017" christine lamprea, cello | may 24, 2017education "i loved the discussion with other participants and the museum educator. The more we looked, the more we learned! "-slow art day program attendee gallery tours and talks in fy17" 3,192 visitors came as part of 155 tour groups " 2,430 callers listened to 12,933 stops on guide by cell audio tours" 550 visitors attended 50 wednesday gallery talks" 545 visitors attended 18 drop-in tours on free community days " 360 visitors attended special tours on january 22 following the women's march on washingtonartists in conversation 243 attendees came to hear 8 artists whose work was on view in nmwa's exhibitions and collection"to have an intimate evening of viewing and listening to an artist talk-phenomenal! "-attendee at amy sherald's artist talkart, books, and creativitynmwa educators led the seventh annual art, books, and creativity (abc) teacher institute in july 2016. Eighteen enthusiastic pre-k-12 teachers gathered to learn and create. "i have learned so much . . . The course is extremely rich and well-designed and relevant. Nmwa is a model for all d. C. Museum education programs. "-abc institute attendee publicationsnmwa publishes catalogues for exhibitions, including revival; a triannual magazine, women in the arts; annual reports; and brochures. Local, national, and international committeescommittees champion women through the arts in their regions and support the museum's work in washington, d. C. Committees host and sponsor a wide range of activities and events. In fy17, committees nominated artists working in metal for the fifth installment of the women to watch exhibition series, a collaboration between nmwa and its committees presented every three years. Selected committee highlights: " the ohio advisory group held the first fresh talk outreach event outside of d. C. In may 2017 " the texas, u. K. , and massachusetts committees raised money to donate works of art to nmwa " the ohio, mississippi, and georgia committees marked nmwa's 30th anniversary with significant donations" the uk friends of nmwa sponsored the exhibition terrains of the body at whitechapel gallery in london, which attracted more than 75,000 visitors" in april 2017, the chile committee presented a concert by maria luisa merino, winner of their biannual contest for women classical singers " the committee in peru held its official launch in may 2017, led by president veronica de ferreronational committees arkansas chair: maribeth frazer northern california chairs: lorna meyer calas, carol parkersouthern california chairs: janet barnet, marilyn levinflorida chair: diane grobgeorgia chair: lisa cannon taylorgreater kansas city areachair: arlene finneymassachusettschair: sarah bucknell trecomississippichair: lillian wadenew mexicochair: eva borins greater new york regionchairs: regina bilotta, island weissohiochairs: barbara richter, harriet warm texaschair: brooke taylorwashington, dc presidents: mary clark and emmy le bigre
