Explore Women's History in Washington D.C.

While we learn a lot about our Founding Fathers in history classes, in recent years there’s been a stronger effort to put a bigger spotlight on the role of women in the story of America. With March being Women’s History Month, we’re seeing a greater effort than ever to teach young Americans about the unsung heroines who shaped our country’s legacy. But what about the adults? It’s never too late to learn, and there are some fun local Washington D.C. museums near your 1331 Maryland apartment that you can visit to learn more about the American women who shaped our history.

Here’s a great list for all the events happening around Washington D.C. to celebrate Womens’ History Month. But read on to learn about a great resource that’s open all year!

National Museum of Women in the Arts – The National Museum of Women in the Arts, located in Washington, D.C., just 10 minutes away from your 1331 Maryland apartment,  is “the only major museum in the world solely dedicated” to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Since opening its doors in 1987, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has acquired a collection of more than 4,500 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and decorative art all done by American women. Highlights of the collection include works by Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, and Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun. The museum building itself is historical, as it occupies the old Masonic Temple, a building listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This local museum dedicated to women artists was founded to reform traditional art history. The museum is dedicated to discovering and making known women artists who have been overlooked or unacknowledged, and assuring the place of women in contemporary art. The museum’s founder, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, and her husband Wallace F. Holladay began collecting art in the 1960s, just as scholars were beginning to discuss the under-representation of women in museum collections and major art exhibitions. Impressed by a 17th-century Flemish still life painting by Clara Peeters that they saw in Europe, they sought out information on Peeters and found that the definitive art history texts referenced neither her nor any other woman artist. They became committed to collecting artwork by women and eventually to creating a museum and research center.

Currently the National Museum of Women in the Arts is closed for renocations but you can visit their website to see what their latest virtual exhibits are. While Women’s History month may only be in March, once the museum is up and running again you can experience women’s history year-round just a short walk away from your centrally located 1331 Maryland apartment.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005