This series of conversations on creativity, history and leadership brings together scholars, artists and other thought-leaders as they think aloud about the future of the arts, civics and history. With each conversation, we connect the lessons of the Civil War, Lincoln's presidency, theatre, arts and education to our contemporary life. Nine episodes are available as […]
A brief history of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in US sports -- and in business, as well as his work fighting for civil rights.
Explore the National Museum of Women in the Arts' self-guided mural tour in conjunction with our public art installation series on the museum’s exterior during its renovation. This online guide features a selection of murals located around Washington, D.C., by local artist MISS CHELOVE, a.k.a. Cita Sadeli. Part of NMWA’s Lookout: MISS CHELOVE project, check […]
Explore how artists and activists push for social change! In 1907, the Artists' Suffrage League galvanized to create banners, posters, postcards, and cartoons to provide a visual identity for the suffrage movement. More than one hundred years after the 19th Amendment was passed, artists, political organizers, and activists continue to work together in the push […]
Read a new book this Civic Season! We recommend "History, Disrupted: How Social Media & the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past." It's a book about how social media has shaped what we know about history, and the consequences of consuming information about history online.
Cecelia Larrison is one of many people who liberated themselves from slavery long before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1846, at age 15, while on a trip to Niagara Falls with her enslavers, the Thruston family of Louisville, Kentucky, Cecelia slipped away and crossed the border into Canada. Throughout her years as a […]
On June 23, 1909, in Louisville, Kentucky, a rising star was born: the mysterious, elegant, and multi-talented Helen Humes. Humes was raised loving music, and starting at age 17, she began a wildly successful career singing jazz and blues. She worked with many noteable musicians and groups, including the Count Basie Orchestra and Norman Granz. […]
Women across disciplines are fighting for gender equity by revising history’s dominant narratives. Watch a conversation that explores how this rewriting extends beyond the page and into our society. Amy Padnani, creator of the New York Times “Overlooked” series; Jodie Patterson, a social activist, entrepreneur and writer; and Hilary Sample, architect, principal and cofounder of […]
Hazel Ying Lee was one of the first Chinese American women to earn her pilot's license and the first to fly for the United States military. In World War II, Lee served with the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). But her experience to the skies was not always free of turbulence. Learn about Hazel's […]
In this article, meet two women fighting for the right for people with disabilities -- including themselves -- to self-determination. In other words, for the right to decide how they will live and the resources needed, instead of these decisions being made by others. While there have been improvements, this fight continues today. America250 is […]
A giant in shaping legal equality for women and African Americans, Pauli Murray was an activist, attorney, priest, and poet. When her father's mental health declined after his wife's death, Pauli was separated from her siblings, and sent to live with her mother's extended family in Durham, North Carolina. Read about her struggles with racism, […]
Learn about these five women artists in NMWA’s collection who called Washington, D.C., home for a significant part of their lives and important contributions as teachers, mentors, and role models. Image: Alma Woodsey Thomas, Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses, 1969; Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 50 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift […]