Matrons of the Arts: Learning about Women Artists (Story)

By: Michelle Harrell, NCMA Director of Education

How does your school celebrate National Women’s History Month? Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in 1987 to celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture, and society.

Early 2017, NCMA launched the Matrons of the Arts initiative, which highlights female-identified artists in both the Museum’s permanent collection and around the world. Inspired in part by the name five women artists challenge put on by the National Museum of Women in the Arts—and playing off the phrase patron of the arts—this campaign seeks to bring the public’s attention to women who have been and continue to be major figures in the world of art.

Explore over twenty women artists with related resources below. 

Women Artists on NCMALearn

A painting of a Black woman with short brown hair, set against an orange background. She is bowing her head and wearing a black jacket and a light blue scarf.

three self-portraits of the artist in different poses while thinking

NCMA Art and Environment Workshop

Jennifer Steinkamp Mike Kelley

Rosemary Laing flight research #5 1999 Photograph

A painted portrait of a woman seated on a rust-colored, upholstered piece of furniture and wearing a dark-colored, high-necked dress. The woman is depicted holding opera glasses and wearing a feathered hat.

A painting of five male figures with dark skin tones dressed in traditional Japanese clothing

Maud Gatewood Jungle Camp 2000 Painting

Deborah Sperber After the Mona Lisa 2 2005

A colorful abstract painting on an irregularly shaped canvas

A color photograph of a dark-haired woman lying on a bed covered with floral-patterned fabric. She is wearing a red veil over a white robe, with writing on the fabric and on her skin.

A blue-and-black wooden figure of a woman hovering in the air with her arms outstretched. She is enclosed by a bronze cage that extends from her waist to the floor.

Matheson North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 1982 1982 Photography

Elizabeth Matheson photograph Edenton 1982

Andrea Donnelly in the Studio

Andrea Donnelly discusses her creative approach to weaving from her studio.

A piece of gray cloth with an almost symmetrical black inkblot design in the middle.

A black and white photograph of a masked villager in rural mexico

A black-and-white photograph of a person standing in front of a wooden door with their arms crossed, wearing a dark-colored, button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jeans, and a belt with a dollar-sign belt buckle.

A black-and-white photograph of a person standing in front of a gray background and wearing a jacket with rolled-up sleeves, a white shirt, and a bow tie.

The Gulf Stream (After Winslow Homer) by Stacy Lynn Waddell

For more information about Matrons of the Arts, visit http://ncartmuseum.org/matrons. Follow the movement at the NCMA and around the world on social media via #matronsofthearts.

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