The world’s first major museum dedicated to women artists will celebrate the reopening of its building this fall after an extensive renovation.
The National Museum of Women in Arts (NMWA) in Washinton, D.C. announced its first renovation since the late 1980s will complete on October 21. Baltimore’s Sandra Vicchio & Associates is the lead architect on the $67.5 million project.
“NMWA has a distinctive role in the art world. As both a museum and a megaphone, we advocate for gender equity through excellence in the arts,” said NMWA Director Susan Fisher Sterling in a press release. “We have continued to do this work virtually and off-site during our closure, but we are really looking forward to reopening our building this fall. Our renewed and reimagined spaces will enhance our ability to share great works of art, engage with our visitors and reach out to new audiences.”
The museum, at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, will debut new exhibition spaces, public programming areas, with improved accessibility throughout the original 1908 classical revival style building. Sandra Vicchio & Associates added a Learning Commons with studio and workshop spaces and a research library to the 87,500-square-foot main building. On the renovation side, it overhauled the 182-seat performance hall and carved out 20 percent more gallery space within the building. The firm also updated back-of-house spaces including the collections storage and conservation areas.
The October opening coincides with The Sky’s the Limit, an exhibition of monumental sculpture and immersive installations from 12 contemporary women artists.
More details on the renovation and fall opening can be found here.