After a $70 Million Renovation, the National Museum of Women in the Arts Reopens

NMWA’s building at 1250 New York Avenue, NW was originally constructed in 1908 as a Masonic temple (where women were not allowed entry) and the structure went through several iterations before the Holladays purchased it in 1985 and transformed it into the first museum in the world dedicated to women’s creative accomplishments.  

It was also about this same time that activists began to scrutinize the collecting activities of work by women and marginalized artists in museums. Director Susan Fisher Sterling, who had started out as the museum’s curator, would approach galleries with the same question: “Do you have any women artists?” 

Initially, the Holladays donated a trove of 500 art objects that formed the foundation of NMWA’s collection, and rallied others to their cause. The recent renovation restored the building’s historical beauty while transforming its capabilities for the future—with expanded galleries and public spaces, improved educational facilities. The supporters of the collection include individuals, families, foundations, and the impassioned members of NMWA’s outreach committees—advocacy groups working around the world to promote the museum’s mission of artistic enfranchisement. Many works also have been donated by artists themselves, signifying their confidence in the museum as a steward of their legacies. 

Holladay’s vision for the museum was elegantly embodied in the Great Hall. Now restored by the Baltimore architectural firm Sandra Vicchio & Associates, the building’s neoclassical proportions still speaks to the Georgetown establishment to which Holladay belonged. Visitors are greeted by the Murano glass chandelier that is a mixed-media assemblage by Joana Vasconcelos at the museum’s entry. Reclaiming the legacy of handwork among women makers, Vasconcelos’ chandelier with stuffed tube tentacles and crocheted puffs with beads and LED lights proclaims the centuries old legacy of handwork amongst women.

The museum has undergone a two-year renovation that cost $70 million and has resulted in the creation of 2,500 square feet of exhibition space with newly expanded galleries. The museum’s sole Frida Kahlo painting holds pride of place in the mezzanine, accessible by the grandiose twin marble staircases. There are many standouts in the permanent collection. A gorgeous Mildred Thompson and a fantastic Alma Thomas. Also nicely represented are two works by Judy Chicago: a large Purple Atmosphere photo and a wonderful lozenge painting. There are also works by Sonya Clark, Amy Sherald, and Cindy Sherman. Niki de Saint Phalle’s Pregnant Nana, 1993, well displayed against a purple walled backdrop, greets visitors to these newly refurbished galleries.

The eclectic survey The Sky’s the Limit, an inaugural exhibition of large-scale contemporary sculpture on the second floor that runs through February 25, 2024, brings together an exciting array of 33 artworks some suspended from the ceiling and others large freestanding pieces. Art & Object was fortunate to have Kathryn Wat, Deputy Director for Art, Programs, and Public Engagement/Chief Curator at the NMWA answer our questions about this exhibition.

Art & Object: What was your goal with this new sculpture exhibition, “The Sky’s the Limit”?

Kathryn Wat: This inaugural exhibition offers an opportunity to engage audiences with powerful, large-scale works. Presented in our transformed space, the artworks convey an energy and dynamism that dovetails with the urgency of the museum’s mission to oppose historic and contemporary gender inequality.

A&O: I assume that your final section was made with consideration of a number of factors—the chief aim being to create as varied a representation of artists as possible from different parts of the world. What is the highlight of the show for you?

KW: Amidst so many strong showstoppers, it is hard to select one highlight. Each artist revels in materiality, and nothing is off limits. They work with an array of found objects, including silver-plated vessels, t-shirts, wooden spools, hair combs, faux flowers, ostrich eggs, shells, a wooden chair, glass bottles, parasols and a wooden rhinoceros. Other works on view are composed from a mix of organic and industrial materials—such as wool, paper, wire, resin, cedar wood, aluminum, wax and blown glass. In a world that continues to confront women with so many limitations, these artists are in control of their mediums and work fearlessly. They approach their practice with a fullness of expression that demands attention.

A&O: How do you want viewers to approach the exhibition?

KW: The physicality of large-scale artworks that insert themselves into the gallery space changes the experience for visitors walking through the exhibition. These artists are intent on inviting visitors to an experience. They don’t want you to stand still and look. They want you to move around, to physically engage with the works and see new perspectives and—short of touching anything—to directly understand their impact. 

A&O: What message about women artists were you looking to impart with this exhibition?

KW: The conventional notion that certain artists are unsuited to sculpture because it requires muscularity and an unwavering commitment to physical processes is a gendered belief. The artists featured in the museum’s reopening exhibition demonstrate that there are no limits to their artistic expression. Each maker assumes boldness, ingenuity and openness to create sculptures that have everything to do with everything, and therefore reshape the way we understand our evolving world. These works challenge the intractable misperceptions that many people—astoundingly, frustratingly—still have about how women artists work. Yes, we also love the graceful, domestically scaled works of artists such as Mary Cassatt, but that is not the only “type” of woman artist. Two of the featured artists must wear hazmat suits to make their works. Many works by Joana Vasconcelos would not fit through the passageways of our historic building.

A&O: What is the future of the National Museum of Women in the Arts?

KW: As a feminist institution, we fight against a maelstrom of pressures and continued gender inequality. The art world needs spaces for constructive and inclusive conversations. I want visitors to leave the museum feeling motivated and inspired, not just pleasant or passive. I want to excite people into seeing the world in new ways.