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Podcasts The Frame
Can you name 5 women artists off the top of your head?
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The Frame Tile
Mar 8, 2017
Listen • 10:57
Can you name 5 women artists off the top of your head?
A social media campaign called #5WomenArtists, by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., highlights the "sins of omission" that have plagued the art world's recognition of women artists.
A February 17, 2012 photo shows "Portrait of the Artist" by Rose Adelaide Ducreux during a preview of "Royalists to Romantics: Women Artists from the Louvre, Versailles, and Other French National Collections" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. The exhibit running February 24 through July 29 features 77 paintings, prints, and sculptures from 1750 to 1850. Royalists to Romantics celebrates these rare works, many of which have never been seen outside of France.
A February 17, 2012 photo shows "Portrait of the Artist" by Rose Adelaide Ducreux during a preview of "Royalists to Romantics: Women Artists from the Louvre, Versailles, and Other French National Collections" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. The exhibit running February 24 through July 29 features 77 paintings, prints, and sculptures from 1750 to 1850. Royalists to Romantics celebrates these rare works, many of which have never been seen outside of France.
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MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
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A social media campaign called #5WomenArtists, by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., highlights the "sins of omission" that have plagued the art world's recognition of women artists.

No Googling.

The challenge to name 5 women artists can be hard to answer.

It's also part of a social media campaign called #5WomenArtists by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. to highlight the "sins of omission" that have plagued the art world when it comes to recognizing women artists in galleries and museums. 

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is one of a kind as the only museum in the world dedicated to female artists. It first opened in its current location nearly 30 years ago, and was co-founded by a woman named Wilhelmina Cole Holladay. She and her husband were art collectors who noticed that there were few women artists represented in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. 

Over time they collected an extensive number of works by women and launched the museum with 500 works from the Holladay’s collection. It continues today with works by diverse artists from as far back as the 1500s to the present day. It also serves as a space for talks about women’s influence in the arts and for social activism.

Lorie Mertes, Director of Public Programs at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, joins John Horn for a spirited discussion about the mission of the museum and it's continued relevance today.