Broad Strokes: The National Museum of Women in the Arts' Blog

According to written records when she died at twenty-seven, Italian artist Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665) had already produced two hundred paintings, drawings, and etchings. An independent painter by nineteen, Sirani ran her family’s workshop: she supported her parents, three siblings, and herself entirely through her art.

Elisabetta Sirani, Self-Portrait, unknown date. Black and red chalk on paper. 9 x 6 inches (23 x 15.5 cm). Private Collection, Geneva, Switzerland

Sirani spent her life in Bologna, a city famous for its progressive attitude toward women’s rights and for producing successful female artists. Trained by her father, Sirani was encouraged in her career by Count Carlo Cesare Malvasia, a family friend and influential art critic. She became famous for her ability to paint beautifully finished canvases so quickly that art lover’s visited her studio from far and wide to watch her work. Sirani’s portraits, mythological subjects, and especially her images of the Holy family, and the Virgin and Child, gained international fame.

When Sirani died—suddenly after experiencing stomach pains—her father suspected she had been poisoned by a jealous maid. The servant was tried for but acquitted of this crime, and an autopsy revealed numerous lacerations in the artist’s stomach, presumably evidence of perforated ulcers. Her funeral was an elaborate affair involving formal orations, special poetry and music, and an enormous catafalque decorated with a life-size sculpture of the deceased. In addition to her artwork, Sirani left an important legacy through her teaching. Her pupils included her two sisters, Barbara and Anna Maria, and more than a dozen other young women who became professional painters.

Elisabetta Sirani, Virgin and Child, 1663. Oil on canvas. 34 x 27 1/2 inches. (86 x 68.5 cm). National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, USA. Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay

Elisabetta Sirani’s Virgin and Child, 1663, portrays Mary not as a remote queen of heaven but as a very real, young Italian mother, wearing the turban favored by Bolognese peasant women, who gazes adoringly at the plump baby wriggling on her lap. Mary’s long, slender fingers secure the infant’s torso as the Christ child playfully leans back into pictorial space to crown her with a garland of roses, which she lowers her head to receive. There is virtually no ornamentation on Mary’s clothing except for the hint of a blue pattern in her headscarf: the only other decoration is the gold tassel at the corner of the pillow on which the Christ child is resting. This touch of glitter and the floral garland are especially noticeable in contrast to Sirani’s plain, dark background.

Nancy G. Heller has a doctorate in art history from Rutgers University, is a writer and lecturer on the arts who has presented numerous talks on women artists at various museums, colleges, and other universities.

Clara® is NMWA’s unique interactive database containing authoritative information on women visual artists of all time periods and nationalities. The database started as an index for our extensive Archives on Women Artists, but quickly took on a life all its own. We have been working hard to realize the full potential of such a database, and to make it a valuable academic resource for the public. About two months ago, our newest version of Clara® went live. We at NMWA fondly refer to her as “Clara® 2.0,” and she is faster, stronger, more streamlined, and a little more visually pleasing than her predecessor. I’d like to take you on a little tour of what’s new in Clara® 2.0.

First of all, let’s talk about the feature that has many of us NMWA employees crying tears of joy: Speed. Clara® 2.0 is much, much faster. It used to take up to a full minute for Clara® to search for and deliver your results. Now it takes mere seconds! You can imagine what a big difference this makes in usability and convenience, especially for people (like certain NMWA employees) who use the database quite heavily. But enough about us, let’s talk about you.

We have the technology and we have rebuilt her. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, faster. (Steve Austin, eat your heart out!)

Every time you visit Clara®, you will find a different artist featured on the front page as well as a number of artists highlighted to the lower right of the page. Also, if you like you can now create an account in Clara® with your own unique login; this feature allows you to bookmark your favorite artists in the database. In addition, Clara® has been outfitted with a nifty glossary feature. While reading through artist profiles, you may come across a word or term that is underlined. If you hover your cursor over the underlined term, a box containing the definition will appear. Still present is the ability to search for artists with a number of filters, including nationality, medium, artistic role, etc. You can narrow your search to include only complete and expanded profiles, or limit your results to the artists that are in NMWA’s collection.

If you are a teacher, you will appreciate the large, prominently displayed “Teacher Resources” link near the top of the page. This aptly named section contains lesson plans and other teacher and student resources created by NMWA staff (specifically our wonderous Department of Education). These resources are searchable by theme, grade level, and subject area. Click here to see an example lesson plan on Latina Artists. Each lesson plan has its own page, complete with links to related artists and examples of relevant artwork, and usually comes with a downloadable pdf file of the lesson plan. There are only a few lesson plans currently posted, but we expect this to change as the Department of Education is able to create and post new ones.

Another wonderful new feature of the database is that NMWA now has the capability to upload very high resolution digitized versions of archival documents to Clara® for the public’s (that means You!) researching pleasure. I have seen this feature in action and I can tell you it’s really, really cool. You can zoom so close to the document that you can discern every little detail–creases, stains, every dotted “I” and crossed “t”–all without ever leaving your computer! Unfortunately, we have been unable to digitize and upload archival documents for public consumption thus far due to a shortage in funding and manpower. But don’t despair! We are furiously applying for grants left and right; we will eventually be able to take full advantage of this feature. In the meantime, just be aware that we have the technology and we’re working on it.

Thanks for reading. I hope you find Clara® a useful resource and have fun exploring the new features. If you missed the links above, you can visit the database at http://clara.nmwa.org.

About the Author: Brianna Benesh is the Digital Media Coordinator at NMWA.

What’s going on in this picture?

What do you see that makes you say that?

What more can we find?

These three questions are at the heart of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a teaching method that is revolutionizing the field of art education. On December 4 and 5, NMWA hosted a VTS practicum led by Oren Slozberg, Executive Director of Visual Understanding in Education (VUE). More than 25 classroom and museum educators from across the country and as far as away as London attended the practicum. Participants learned about the development of VTS, saw the method modeled, and—most importantly—tried it out!

Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Love's Young Dream, 1887; Oil on canvas; 21 1/4 x 32 1/8 in.; Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay

Love’s Young Dream by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe is one of the works discussed using VTS. The role of the educator is to facilitate conversation (using the questions above), validate responses through paraphrasing, and ask viewers to support their ideas with visual evidence. Because of the open-ended nature of VTS, each conversation takes a unique direction. During our conversation about Love’s Young Dream, viewers focused on the figures in the painting and their relationships. We discussed the young woman and her possible relationship to the figure in the distance on horseback and her relationship to the two older adults. Through VTS, the narrative qualities were explored in depth just as Brownscombe intended.

Over the course of an intense and rewarding two days of training, participants led VTS discussions about many other works in NMWA’s collection. Along the way, professional relationships were formed, and future collaborations, both individual and institutional, were explored. Participants left the experience inspired and eager to share what they learned.

Developed by Abigail Housen, a cognitive psychologist, and Philip Yenawine, a veteran art museum educator, VTS is a learner-centered strategy designed to help beginning viewers access and make meaning of art. Additionally, VTS facilitates students’ development of critical thinking, language and visual literacy, and interpersonal skills.

VTS has been adopted by museums and schools both nationally and internationally, from Boston Public Schools to the Seattle Museum of Art to the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Even Harvard Medical School has explored the power of VTS in increasing the observation and diagnostic skills of its students.

NMWA staff send our thanks to VUE and hope to host additional trainings in the future! To learn more about VTS, please visit www.vtshome.org.

-Anna Allegro is Associate Educator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts was selected as one of 12 nonprofit organizations to compete in Avon’s 12 Days For Good: The Online Holiday Charity Shopping Event.  Not only will NMWA receive 20% of your purchase total as a cash donation, but we’re also in the running for a 12% bonus of the money raised by all 12 charities combined.  The charity competition starts Friday, November 27th, and ends Tuesday, December 8th.

You can shop the full range of Avon’s product line including:  home decor, fashion, jewelry, kids, bath, body, and beauty products.  Also, check out the “Really Good Gifts” list that you can download at 12daysforgood.org to help guide you to some of the best gifts to give this season.  Orders totaling $30 or more will receive free shipping.

Here’s how it works:

1. Visit 12daysforgood.org.  Click on the “Shop for the National Museum of Women in the Arts” link to open a special dedicated shopping page in Avon’s Online Store.

2. Click the “Shop my online event” button

3. Complete your purchase online.

Shopping, saving, and doing good couldn’t be easier this holiday season.  Thanks for your support!

About the Author: Susan Cuff is NMWA’s Member Services Associate.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Indian, Indio, Indigenous, 1992. Oil and collage on canvas, 60 x 100 in. (diptych). National Museum of Women in the Arts.

“My art, my life experience, and my tribal ties are totally enmeshed. I go from one community with messages to the other, and I try to enlighten people.”

Even in her earliest memories, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith wanted to be an artist. Her father, an amateur artist, drew pictures of animals for his daughter to entertain her. She grew up on the Flathead Reservation in southwestern Montana, and developed an affinity for animals and nature that has informed her work throughout her life. Yet she was told as a teenager that women could not be artists, that it was a man’s pursuit – but she has proved the naysayers wrong by earning her MA from the University of New Mexico and becoming a successful artist who has exhibited since the 1970s. She, like other Native American artists of her generation, has produced politically and environmentally conscious art throughout her career.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Four Directions, 1994. Lithograph with linocut collage, 44 1/2 x 30 in. National Museum of Women in the Arts.

“Once my paintings get started and they start rolling they take on a life of their own, and often that’s the way things take place. They come from some mysterious place within.”

Although they address large-scale issues, Smith’s paintings are deeply personal. For example, Indian, Indio, Indigenous, a work Smith calls one of her “narrative landscapes,” is a protest against destruction of the environment and poor treatment of Native Americans. She draws a visual and thematic correlation between the two with use of a unifying color palette and symbols of Native American life, such as use of her reservation’s newspaper, Char-Koosta. Stark line-drawings mingle with text, including the words “It takes hard work to keep racism alive.” Despite containing numerous symbols, the meaning of the work is clear, and comes from her own identity as Native American.

“I think of my work as an inhabited landscape, never static or empty. Euro-Americans see broad expanses of land as vast, empty spaces. Indian people see all land as a living entity. The wind ruffles; ants crawl; a rabbit burrows. I’ve been working with that idea for probably twenty years now.”

Smith’s work comes alive, and her influences are far reaching. She was trained as an abstract expressionist, and often employs similar color palettes and collage techniques. Her view of landscape is quite different from a conventional one, offering viewers a fresh outlook on nature and life as an American. Despite her often sobering message, Smith seems to prefer humor in her work: “I think people often can hear a message with humor much easier than with bitterness.”

NMWA is open on Black Friday! Come see Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and lots of other artists for a post-Turkey art day.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Pompidou in Paris to see elles@centrepompidou, the major yearlong exhibition of women artists and the largest show of contemporary works by women to date. The exhibition, which runs through May 2010, highlights five hundred works by more then two hundred women artists from the twentieth century to today. Elles is drawn from the museum’s fifty thousand works—one of the world’s largest modern and contemporary art collections; only 17% of the artist represented are women. The Pompidou has dedicated 8,000 m2 (nearly half its floor space) to the show. Curated by Camille Morineau, elles includes reflections from artists, writers, philosophers, and historians; an interactive Web site; and an extensive catalogue. Morineau admits that this show would not have been possible five years ago because the Pompidou simply did not have enough works by women.

The breadth of the exhibition is staggering; it includes all the big names—Joan Mitchell, Louise Bourgeois, Diane Arbus, and Frida Kahlo—but also works by important contemporary artists such as Ghada Amer, Valérie Belin, and Pipilotti Rist. The show is divided into themes—the body, story-telling, space, relationships—that are discussed through paintings, drawings, sculptures, performances, film, installation, text, prints, photographs, furniture, and even architectural models. Despite the varied backgrounds and time periods of the artists, the strength of the women reverberates throughout each room. These women defied the odds to fulfill their passion for art.

The "Wordworks" section includes works by Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer.

Videos that provoke gut reactions like Carolee Schneeman’s Meat Joy balance the slow, contemplative videos of Eija-Liisa Ahtila. Sandy Skoglund’s fantastical photograph of radioactive cats overtaking a colorless kitchen was juxtaposed with Martha Rolser’s video Semiotics of the Kitchen, which was featured in NMWA’s WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution in 2007. My favorite room revolved around grids: Hungarian artist Vera Molnar started experimenting with computers in the 1960s and created intricate computer-generated geometric forms; Tara Donovan made a cube out of interlocking toothpicks; minimalist artist Agnes Martin constructed methodical grids of penciled lines; and Valérie Jouve photographed the seemingly endless rows of balconies and windows of an apartment building.

On the second floor of gallery space were additional works from the collection from 1906 to 1960. Important paintings by women, including Suzanne Valadon, Sonia Delauney, and Natalia Gontcharova, were interspersed with work by men to contextualize their role in the art world. Outside the Pompidou is Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely’s kinetic Stravinsky Fountain. This spring, four beautiful sculptures by Saint Phalle will be installed outside of NMWA.

I also took a short trip to the Musée de l’Orangerie on the corner of the Louvre’s Jardin des Tuileries, which featured the impressive modernist collection of Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume. Among the Picassos, Matisses, and Renoirs, was a small gallery dedicated to French artist Marie Laurencin—one of few women cubist painters—who is known for her delicate paintings of women and children in airy pastel colors. It was exciting to see many of the women artists shown at NMWA being celebrated around the world.

–Vivian Djen is managing editor at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.