National Museum of Women in the Arts

National Museum of Women in the Arts Review

Works by female artists from the Renaissance to the present are showcased at this museum. The beautifully restored 1907 Renaissance Revival building was designed by Waddy B. Wood; it was once a Masonic temple, for men only. In addition to displaying traveling shows, the museum has a collection that includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints, and photographs by Frida Kahlo, Camille Claudel, Mary Cassat, Alma Thomas, Judy Chicago, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Nan Goldin, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Helen Frankenthaler, and Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. The museum also oversees the New York Avenue Sculpture Project, the first outdoor sculpture corridor in D.C., featuring changing installations by women artists. The Museum Shop sells products celebrating women artists, and also fair-trade art, jewelry, and home accents created by the International Women Artisans Initiative. The Mezzanine Cafe offers lunch fare and desserts, as well as brunch the first Sunday of the month, and the museum hosts a variety of programs for kids and teens, as well as adults.