March is Women's History Month
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.
All American: The Power of Sports
This new exhibition, open until January 7, 2024, at the National Archives Museum (https://museum.archives.gov/) includes stories and artifacts related to women trailblazers in sports, such as Wilma Rudolph, Billie Jean King, and Althea Gibson.
Image Credit: Women Soccer Team USA Celebrate Together, 2015
Women of a Certain Age
Painter Alice Neel once proclaimed, “Life begins at seventy,” railing against the social and cultural stereotypes that limit women as they age. The National Portrait Gallery's collection includes many stories of women who achieved their dreams later in life or discovered new passions and reinvented themselves many times over. These portraits in this Google Arts and Culture digital exhibition remind us of our capacity to change ourselves - and the world - at any age.
Explore the Collection
“Dr. Marta Moreno Vega” by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2011. Inkjet print. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Catherine and Ingrid Pino Duran. copyright 2011 Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
Joni Mitchell to Receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that Joni Mitchell, an icon among music makers, will be the next recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Mitchell will be honored with a tribute concert March 1 in Washington, D.C., that will premiere on PBS stations nationwide on March 31 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).
PBS to Premiere Concert Special Honoring Joni Mitchell on March 31
Image credit: Detail from the cover of the album “Clouds,” courtesy of the artist.
National Park Service Celebrates Women's History Month
Explore women's history in national parks and in places in communities across the country to discover women of all cultures providing healing and hope. Learn how women continue to lead in these roles in stewardship and conservation of America's natural and cultural treasures today.
Image credit: Courtesy National Park Service.
The Women of Five Wars
The limited but important roles women played in Korea and Vietnam paved the path to more expanded -- and in some cases more dangerous -- specialties in recent wars.
Find out more about women in the military »
Image credit: Fort Wayne News Sentinel image of Mary Weiss Hester of the 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron caring for a wounded patient onboard a C-47 Skytrain. January 1953. (Library of Congress)
Women They Talk About: Documenting Early Women Filmmakers with the American Film Institute—Teachers Guide
Women actively participated in shaping the nascent film industry of the early twentieth century, both as screen stars and behind the camera. But why is this history missing from our understanding of early Hollywood? A comprehensive catalog from the American Film Institute and their “Women They Talk About” project offers an opportunity to discover these forgotten stories and the powerful women who shaped the industry.
Image credit: Promotional poster for silent film directed by Lois Weber. Image by Burton Rice for Bluebird Photoplays (Life time: pre-1925 publication of advertisement by defunct film company; expired copyright) - Original publication: The Moving Picture World (New York, N.Y.)
2023 Event Highlights
Online Event
March 8
International Women's Day Symposium: Women Leadership in Tech and Investment
Keynote speaker Dr. Vivienne Ming, neuroscientist, entrepreneur, inventor, and artificial intelligence expert discusses the tax of being different as an entrepreneur and investor, and about her career path. This will be followed by a panel session and conversation around best practices for increasing women in leadership positions, personal experiences, and opportunities for women in investment industries.
(Library of Congress)
Gallery Talk
March 9
Afrofuturism Big Objects, Big Stories: I Go To Prepare A Place For You by Bisa Butler
From the era of slavery to the present day, African Americans have re-imagined the futures and possibilities of black people across the globe through the dynamic lens of Afro-Futurism. I Go To Prepare A Place For You, by fiber artist Bisa Butler, is based upon a portrait of underground railroad conductor and abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
(African American History and Culture Museum)
Arts Festival
March 11
Creativity is Magic: Maya Lin Festival at the National Portrait Gallery
Join the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Gardens for a festival of art and ideas in honor of Women's History Month. Tour the special exhibition “One Life: Maya Lin,” participate in art workshops, and take part in her ongoing multi-site memorial What Is Missing? Participants of all ages can also create art inspired by Lin's designs, which meet at the intersection of art and environmentalism.
Free Registration
(National Portrait Gallery)
Panel Discussion
March 16
Live! At the Library: Women in Photography, Stories from the “Not an Ostrich” Exhibition
Photojournalist Sharon Farmer, the first woman and the first African American to be Director of the White House Photography office, and Anne Tucker, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will share stories about women photographers and their own work with the Library's exhibition “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America's Library.
(Library of Congress)
Panel Discussion
March 30
Live! At The Library: The Olivia Records Story
Historian Bonnie Morris interviews veterans of Olivia Records, the pioneering woman-run record company founded in Washington, D.C., which celebrates its 50 anniversary this year. Introducing the "sound" of women's music in the early 1970s through artists such as Meg Christian and Cris Williamson, Olivia Records offered albums and concert events with a woman-loving sensibility in a time before LGBT rights.
(Library of Congress)
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