Read Why Women Artists, the Director's Vision
“The arts and cultural heritage of our great metropolitan centers and of cities like New Britain as well as other small towns, villages, and rural communities tell a quintessentially American story,” explains Min Jung Kim, Director of the New Britain Museum of American Art.
“The NBMAA has always been committed to reflecting various American visual expressions.”
Kim explains why a year-long focus on diverse women artists is so unique at an institution dedicated to American art. “The picture of American art of the 21st century is one of a rich and varied diversity, reflecting America’s evolving national identity. To be truly ‘American’ now means to embrace diversity. Yet 100 years after women were granted equal voting rights by the 19thAmendment, women artists are still significantly under-represented – not only in the NBMAA’s collection, but in most of the nation’s art museums.” According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts (https://nmwa.org/advocate/get-facts) the artists in most museums collections’ are 87% male and 85% white. Only 27% of major exhibitions are devoted to women artists world-wide.
Kim continues, “Our initiative challenges this underrepresentation by celebrating the innovative work and outsized impact of female-identifying artists throughout American history. And we are doing this in one of the oldest museums of American art in this country.”