The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since opening in 1987, the museum has acquired a collection of more than 6,000 works by more than 1,000 artists, ranging from the 16th century to today. The collection includes works by Mary Cassatt, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, and Amy Sherald. NMWA also holds the only painting by Frida Kahlo in Washington, D.C., Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky. The museum occupies the old Masonic Temple, a building listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 2021 the museum temporarily closed to undergo a $66 million transformative renovation. The museum reopened to the public on October 21, 2023.
History The museum was founded to reform traditional histories of art. It is dedicated to discovering and making known women artists who have been overlooked, erased, or unacknowledged, and assuring the place of women in contemporary art. The museum's founder, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, and her husband Wallace F. Holladay began collecting art in the 1960s, just as scholars were beginning to discuss the under-representation of women in museum collections and major art exhibitions. Impressed by a 17th-century Flemish still life painting by Clara Peeters that they saw in Europe, they sought out information on Peeters and found that the definitive art history texts referenced neither her nor any other woman artist. They became committed to collecting artwork by women and eventually to creating a museum and research center. The NMWA was incorporated in December 1981 as a private, non-profit museum, and the Holladay donation became the core of the institution's permanent collection. After purchasing and extensively renovating a former Masonic Temple, NMWA opened in April 1987 with the inaugural exhibition American Women Artists, 1830–1930. To underscore its commitment to increasing the attention given to women in all disciplines, NMWA commissioned Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich to write Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra inspired by five paintings from the permanent collection, for an opening concert. As of 2022, Director Susan Fisher Sterling heads a staff of more than 50 people.
Building The 78,810-square-foot (7,322 m2) building, originally with the function of a Masonic Temple, is a Renaissance Revival style building. The building was the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. It replaced an older building constructed in 1870 at 9th and F streets (which as of 2013 was still standing). Initially drafted by architect Waddy B. Wood, the main building was completed in 1908 in an effort to bring the City Beautiful movement to Washington, D.C. Wood was recognized as being especially supportive of women architects during his lifetime. The lot that was known as "Seven Oaks" was bought for $115,000 in 1899. As the building was originally designed, the upper floors were reserved for Masonic rites, the middle floors were office space, and an auditorium on the first floor was meant to be rented out as a source of income. The building began showing silent films in 1916, following a renovation. From 1941 until 1983, the auditorium was used as a public movie theater. The Masonic Temple was nearly torn down before a local group named Don't Tear It Down intervened, requesting that it be preserved. In 1983 the building was put up for sale by the Freemasons and was purchased that year by the National Museum of Women, under its first director Anne-Imelda Radice. The interior of the building was renovated, with the auditorium converted into a special events space. The museum opened to the public on April 7, 1987. When it opened, the museum had over 500 pieces in its permanent collection. The permanent collection was housed on the third floor, while rotating temporary exhibits took up the second floor. From the start, the museum had detractors who claimed that its existence would isolate female artists from the broader art community, or that it was being created solely for political reasons. In 1994, the museum bought a site at 1220 New York Avenue Northwest for an expansion. The Elisabeth A. Kasser Wing, named for an art patron whose children donated funds for the expansion, was opened in November 1997. The annex consisted of two new galleries, a larger museum shop, and a reception room. The new facilities added 5,300 square feet (490 m2), bringing the entire facility to 84,110 square feet (7,814 m2). The museum closed in August 2021 for a major renovation, which was designed by Sandra Vicchio & Associates. Key improvements include enlarged gallery space, a new destination for researchers and education programs, enhanced amenities and accessibility for visitors as well as infrastructure and storage upgrades to improve the long-term conservation and security of the museum's collection. The project involved adding 2,500 square feet (230 m2) of gallery space, a learning center, and a renovated fifth-story performance space. Following the renovation, the museum reopened to the public on October 21, 2023. It is variously cited as having cost $67.5 million or $70 million.
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay (1922–2021) was the founder and chair of the Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Holladay sought to promote women's accomplishments in founding the museum. Holladay created individual committees of over 1,000 volunteers from 27 states and seven countries, to give educational opportunities to children through collaborations with schools and other community groups, as well as provided opportunities for adults to participate and encourage art in local communities across the globe. Wilhelmina Cole Holladay's interest in art was sparked as a student at Elmira College in New York, where she studied art history, followed by graduate work at the University of Paris. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in American Art, Who's Who in the World, and she held many honorary degrees and achievement awards for her work in the arts community. In 2006 she received the National Medal of Arts from the United States and the Légion d'honneur from the French government. In 2007 Holladay received the gold medal for the Arts from the National Arts Club in New York City.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
