National Association of Women Artists (NAWA): A Tradition Continues

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS (NAWA): A TRADITION CONTINUES

March 21–April 20, 2024

Founded in 1889 by five artists, the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) holds a vital place in the history of American art as the first women’s fine art organization in the country. Envisioning greater professional access for women artists barred from salons, classes, and galleries in the male-dominated nineteenth-century art world, NAWA began to provide women with structural support, and more crucially, opportunities to exhibit their work. In a time when women artists were primarily associated with crafts and decorative arts, this vibrant community of artists advocated for more diverse, complex contributions and achievements of women to modern art.

From its inception, NAWA’s annual exhibitions proved an enormous success, attracting the participation of artists such as Mary Cassatt, Rosa Bonheur, Cecelia Beaux, and Suzanne Valadon. As the organization steadily grew, its membership expanded to include prominent figures such as Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who established the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as artists Blanche Lazzell, Louise Nevelson, and Faith Ringgold. Artists involved in NAWA explore a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, video art, installations, and mixed media. “On the whole the National Association of Women Artists has a very strong sculpture group,” wrote an Art Digest critic in 1949 while reviewing a show at the Argent Galleries.

In response to the cascade of changes to women’s lives— particularly during the women’s movement of the 1960s and the restructuring of the paid labor force in the 1970s— NAWA has steadfastly supported the concerns of women artists, believing in the value of an organization dedicated especially to women even in the midst of increasing integration in the art world. In 1988, the organization and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University collaborated to house NAWA’s permanent collection. Furnished by generous donations and occasional purchases, the collection’s holdings emphasize NAWA’s historical scope and present a rich inventory of American art. In celebration of the Association’s 135th anniversary, Hollis Taggart is proud to feature works by both NAWA contemporary artists and six honorary vice presidents: Pat Adams, Judith Brodsky, Judy Chicago, Audrey Flack, Faith Ringgold, and Dorothea Rockburne.

Acknowledgments

On the occasion of Women’s History Month, the gallery is pleased to collaborate with the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), a prestigious organization celebrating its 135th anniversary. We are grateful to board member Jeffrey Wechsler for his varied and invaluable assistance with this project and to Jill Cliffer Baratta, Executive Director of NAWA, for her energetic support. A huge thank you is extended to the McCall Associates for the design of this brochure. They generously donated their time and skill gratis, as their contribution to NAWA.

Please note that a percentage of all sales proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to NAWA.

Christine Shannon Aaron

Imprint V & Notation II, 2017

Burnt drawing on Kozo paper and wax (left)

Burnt drawing on oak gall ink dyed paper and thread (right)

10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm) (each; diptych)

Pennie Brantley

Feeding Vincent (Kitchen of Van Gogh’s Asylum, St.-Paul-de-Mausole, St.-Remy-de-Provence, France), 2018 Oil on canvas 36 × 48 in. (91.4 × 121.9 cm)

Lola de Miguel

Galactic Beauty, 2022

Acrylic on canvas

50 × 46 in. (127 × 116.8 cm)

Pamela Flynn

Still Counting, 2012

Seed beads and nails on canvas 24 × 24 in. (61 × 61 cm)

Inness Hancock

Peonies, 2023

Oil on canvas

48 × 60 in. (121.9 × 152.4 cm)

Krystal Hart

4:10 p.m. Dawn from Death, 2018 Sumi, walnut ink, pigments, minerals, on Torinoko paper mounted to canvas 35 1/2 × 64 in. (90.2 × 162.6 cm)

Hayoon Jay Lee

Eternal Mother – Watching, 2023–24 Rice, modeling paste, 24k gold, and acrylic on wood panel

36 × 48 × 2 3/8 in. (91.4 × 121.9 × 6 cm)

Flavia Lovatelli

Spore Series Assemblage, 2020–23 Rolled and modeled paper Size varies

Susan Lorraine Martin

Galaxy, n.d.

Acrylic on canvas 48 × 60 in. (121.9 × 152.4 cm)

Presence and Absence, n.d.

Oil on canvas 60 × 48 in. (152.4 × 121.9 cm)

Jennifer Jean Okumura

Sharon Sayegh

Ode to an Encounter of Consequence, 2019

Oil and white gold leaf on panel 30 × 108 in. (76.2 × 274.3 cm) (triptych)

Leslie Tejada

Incognito, 2015

Acrylic on paper mounted on wood panel 40 × 60 in. (101.6 × 152.4 cm) (diptych)

Ivy Wu

I’m Sleepy When Awake but Don’t Wake Me Up 2, 2023

Acrylic on canvas 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)

Abby Zonies

Celebrate in Red, 2021

Gouache and mixed media on paper 30 × 22 in. (76.2 × 55.9 cm)

PAST NAWA

VICE PRESIDENTS

Pat Adams

Willingness, 1977

Acrylic, mother of pearl, pastel, and ink on paper

16 1/2 × 15 in. (41.9 × 38.1 cm)

© Pat Adams, courtesy Alexandre Gallery, New York

Judith K. Brodsky

What Is Gravity Really?, 2014 Oil pastel and digital collage 48 × 68 in. (121.9 × 172.7 cm)

Judy Chicago

Reaching Uniting Becoming Free, 1979

Serigraph

Edition 57 of 100

41 × 28 in. (104.1 × 71.1 cm)

© Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo © Donald Woodman/ARS, NY

Audrey Flack

Emerald, 1950–51

Gouache on paper 11 7/8 × 17 7/8 inches (30.2 × 45.4 cm)

Faith Ringgold

Self Portrait, 2023

Screenprint

28 × 23 in. (71.1 × 58.4 cm)

Edition 98 of 100

Dorothea Rockburne

Lamenting Angels #3, 2021

Aquacryl paint, acrylic, and gouache on paper 30 × 23 in. (76.2 × 58.4 cm)