Discovering the National Museum of Women in the Arts, NMWA, Washington
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) was created for several reasons, all related to the desire to promote and recognize the contributions of women in the arts.
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay began collecting art in the 1970s and found that women artists were underrepresented in museums.
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay decided to devote her resources to creating a museum that would showcase women artists.
The NMWA is the world's first museum dedicated solely to promoting women through the arts.
The museum was incorporated as a private, nonprofit museum in November 1985.... Prior to its official opening, the NMWA operated out of the Holladay Residence, where tours of the collection were given.
In 1983, the museum purchased its current building at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, and opened to the public in April 1987....
The first inaugural exhibition was titled American Women Artists, 1830–1930.
The mission of the NMWA is to recognize the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring, and researching art created by women, and by informing the public about their achievements.
The museum also works to improve gender inequality in the art world by correcting the imbalance in favor of female artists.
In addition to its exhibitions, the NMWA offers educational programs, a library, and a research center. The museum also engages with the community and encourages social change.
In 2003, an association called Les amis du NMWA was created in Paris. The NMWA received the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom in 2015 for its mission to reveal feminine art.
From the 17th century to the present day, more than 1000 works and 170 artists represented, an immersion in the History of art, by women.