NBMAA Extends 2020/20+Women Exhibition Schedule

The New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) has announced that it is extending its 2020/20+Women series of exhibitions devoted to the work of women artists.

“The New Britain Museum of American Art is thrilled to announce a newly-updated exhibition schedule for its 2020/20+Women @ NBMAA initiative,” the Museum says, “a year-long+ series of seven groundbreaking exhibitions devoted exclusively to the presentation of works by women artists.”

The Museum has recently announced that it has reopened, with a new schedule and guidelines for visiting because of COVID-19.

The Museum says that the artists selected for the exhibition, “represent diversity in race, ethnicity, age, experience, multiple perspectives, cultural backgrounds, career, geography, and medium.”

NBMAA Director Min Jung Kim says that,

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 19th Amendment, women artists are still significantly under-represented – not only in the NBMAA’s collection, but in most of the nation’s art museums.

The source of information cited by the Museum, “Diversity of Artists in Major U.S. Museums“, in discussing the diversity of the artists whose works are in museum collections, said that, “85% of artists are white and 87% are men.”

Kim explains that, “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.”

The Museum says that the exhibit of, “Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated),” by Kara Walker who, “explores race, gender, violence, and identity in representations of the African American experience,” has been extended through August 23, 2020.

The exhibit, “In Thread and On Paper,” by Anni Albers, who the Museum says, “is considered the most important textile artist of the 20th century, as well as an influential designer, printmaker, and educator,” has been extended through September 13, 2020.

The new dates of the exhibit, “Anything but Simple: Shaker Gift Drawings and the Women Who Made Them,” are now August 6, 2020 to January 10, 2021. The Museum says that the exhibit, “features rare Shaker ‘Gift’ or ‘Spirit’ drawings created by women between 1843- 57, which are unique to the Shakers and to American religious culture.”

“Lights, Camera, Ellen Carey: A Solo Exhibition at The Delamar Presented by NBMAA,” is now to be presented from September 10, 2020 to March 1, 2021.

“Some Day is Now: Women, Art & Social Change,” is to be on exhibit from October 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. The Museum says that this presentation,

marks the centennial of American women’s suffrage and features artists including Yoko Ono, Nancy Spero, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, and the Guerrilla Girls, among others, whose work advocates for social empowerment and change. Individually and collectively, the works by these artists challenge and inspire women and people of all genders, races, and ethnicities.

The NEW/NOW exhibit of the works of Shantell Martin, whose work the Museum says, “is unique in her innovative and multidisciplinary output – combining art, commerce, and technology,” is to be presented from October 22, 2020 to April 18, 2021.

The exhibit “Over Time, We’re Left with the Best: Helen Frankenthaler Late Works, 1990–2003,” of the artist the Museum says, “has long been recognized as one of the great American artists of the 20th century,” is to be presented February 11, 2021 to May 23, 2021.

The NEW/NOW exhibit of the works of Jennifer Wen Ma, whose, “interdisciplinary practice bridges installation, public art, performance, and community engagement,” the Museum says, will be presented May 6, 2021 to September 26, 2021.

Tracing its history back to 1835, NBMAA says that its,

collection has grown to more than 8,300 works of art dating from 1739 to the present. With particular strengths in colonial portraiture, the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and the Ash Can School, not to mention the important mural series The Arts of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton, the collection remains a primary source of inspiration for many of the museum’s exhibitions and programming. Exhibitions continue to strike a balance between the historic and the contemporary, reflecting an American narrative comprised of a multiplicity of cultures, races, ethnicities, and perspectives. As one of the first institutions dedicated solely to American art, the New Britain Museum of American Art continues to play a vital role in illuminating our nation’s diverse heritage and artistic advancements.

New Britain Museum of American Art is a world class museum located at 56 Lexington Street, adjoining New Britain’s historic and beautiful Walnut Hill Park.