The Women's Museum of California Gets a New Home

Voice & Viewpoint Staff | Photos: Rochelle Porter, unless otherwise noted

Local dignitaries, community residents, and community leaders, including Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe (D4) and County Supervisor Nora Vargas (D1), gathered at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation to warmly welcome The Women’s Museum of California’s new education center to Southeastern San Diego. The event took place last Saturday, December 11. The Women’s Museum of California ((WMC) has been in existence since 1983. The museum’s most recent home was at Liberty Station, before moving to the Jacobs Center in December.

Attendees captured a glimpse of the center’s WMC collection, past exhibits, and a preview of design plans for the future Women’s Museum.

Naruwan Taiko Drummers provided entertainment for the day and there were children’s activities on hand, along with free food and drink. The spirit was gay with smiles spread amongst the expectant crowd. Residents living in southeast San Diego (zip codes: 92102, 92113, 92114, and 92139) who attended the event on Saturday received a free oneyear WMC membership. “We literally got our keys a few weeks ago,” said WMC Executive Director, Felicia Shaw.

Photo: Voice & Viewpoint

“During the pandemic, we started thinking about how we can be more geographically inclusive, more racially inclusive. We landed here because Southeast San Diego is such a great community. It’s close to everything, it’s really vibrant, [and] there are a lot of creatives here. We thought this would be a great place for us,” Shaw said. In addition to interactive workshops for students and community groups, the new space will feature a paid internship program in collaboration with Detour, a local girls empowerment program. The program will offer direct work experience in museum management for high schoolaged girls of color. A mentorship program will connect Detour interns to key Museum staff. The program will be funded, in part, by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

WMC’s mission is to showcase the history of the women’s movement, “the power of grassroots activism”, and positive social change, according to the museum’s literature. The new WMC space will officially open in January, and its first exhibit will be in March, to coincide with Women’s History Month. WMC’s popular Women’s Hall of Fame exhibit will also open in March. Stay tuned. The community is invited! For more information, visit womensmuseumca.org.