Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:1250 New York Ave., NW
Washington, District of Columbia
Tel:
(202) 783-5000
Celebrate women's art and spend an afternoon with more than 800 artists, including Rosa Bonheur, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Mary Cassatt, Elaine de Kooning, and Käthe Kollwitz! The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating women's achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts.
Founders Wilhelmina and Wallace Holladay donated the core of the museum's permanent collection which included more than 250 works by women from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Since opening its doors in 1987, the museum has acquired a collection of more than 3,500 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and decorative art and houses it in a 78,810 sq ft former Masonic temple which boasts a sweeping marble staircase and splendid interior.
The permanent collection ranges from 16th century art to contemporary art, from the Renaissance paintings of Elisabetta Sirani to modern photographs by Barbara Morgan and contemporary sculptures by Louise Nevelson. Visitors can enjoy special collections, including silver by 18th and 19th-century Irish and English women silversmiths, as well as "A Living Tradition: Pueblo Pottery" from the Permanent Collection. American Indian pottery, a living tradition that has evolved since the late 19th century, is also on display and continues to inspire many contemporary potters.
Allow at least an hour for browsing the museum. Larger groups can enjoy a lecture followed by a docent-led walk through the galleries. And don't forget to drop in for lunch in the Mezzanine Café during the week to enjoy a light lunch surrounded by works from the museum's permanent collection.
To get here, take bus routes 80, G8, S2, S4, X2, D6, D3, 68, D1, and 42 to the corner of H and 13th Streets, NW.
From National Museum of Women in the Arts:
The work in the collection represents a wide range of styles and media—from the Renaissance paintings of Elisabetta Sirani to modern photographs by Barbara Morgan to Louise Nevelson's contemporary sculptures. NMWA also has several important special collections, including silver by 18th and 19th-century Irish and English women silversmiths.