Gallery
PATRICIA PICCININI, THE STAGS, 2008; FIBERGLASS, AUTOMOTIVE PAINT, LEATHER, STEEL, PLASTIC, AND RUBBER, 69 3/4 X 72 X 40 1/4 IN.; NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS, GIFT OF HEATHER AND TONY PODESTA COLLECTION; © PATRICIA PICCININI; PHOTO BY GRAHAM BARING
W
National Museum of Women in the Arts
E NEED CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY NOW more than ever, and the arts can provide that bridge,” says Susan Fisher Sterling, director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. “Museums have often served as places of refuge and solace.” Of course, we’ve had to sacrifice such notions of refuge and solace for the time being, with all museums, including NMWA, closed due to COVID-19. Interestingly enough, however, in certain respects it’s never been easier to get to know the museum and its vast and diverse collection of art. Since the COVID-19 shutdown, the museum’s staff has worked diligently to bolster its digital content and presence. Last month, the museum launched a special portal, NMWA @ Home, which offers many resources and ideas for exploring 34
MAY 14, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
and discovering the museum and women in art. Most notably, guests can now peruse the museum’s full collection, featuring more than 1,000 artists and 5,000 objects, searching by name, time period, medium, or theme. Additionally, the portal includes hundreds of profiles of women artists. Visitors can also wander the collection in a manner similar to how they do in person — by exploring nearly a dozen online exhibitions, including the recently added Wanderer/ Wonderer: Pop-Ups by Colette Fu. This fascinating display of intricate, large-scale pop-up books focuses on those that the artist, a Philadelphia native, has created to capture “haunted landmarks around her hometown,” as well as others portraying the myths, legends, and little-known minority cultures found in China’s Yunnan Province, her ancestral homeland.
