Shahzia Sikander (born Lahore, Pakistan 1969; active United States), A Slight and Pleasing Dislocation, 1993, gouache and gesso on board, Cincinnati Art Museum; Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art, 2019.195, © 2019 Courtesy of Shahzia Sikander Studio, New York
Newcomb Pottery, Mary Sheerer, 1898, ceramic, Gift of the Artist, 1898.221a-b
Wall Street, N.Y., Jessie Tarbox Beals, Circa 1928, gelatin silver print, photograph, Museum Purchase with funds provided by Carl Jacobs, 2001.239
Flower Still Life, Maria van Oosterwijck, 1669, oil on canvas, Bequest of Mrs. L.W. Scott Alter, 1988.150
Barbara Kruger (b. 1945), United States, Untitled (My face is your fortune), 1982, gelatin silver print, 72 1/8 x 47 1/4 in. (183 x 119.9 cm), Cincinnati Art Museum; Gift of RSM Co., 1985.319, © Barbara Kruger, courtesy Mary Boone Gallery, New York
Vase, Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, 1882, 19th Century, ceramic, Gift of Florence I. Balasny-Barnes in memory of Parents Elizabeth C. and Joseph Balasny, 1992.86
Women Breaking Boundaries
October 11, 2019–January 10, 2021
Free | Tickets | Press Release
Explore the role of women in art and art history at the Cincinnati Art Museum through works from the museum’s permanent collection created from the seventeenth century to today. Art from across Europe, North America and Asia in a range of mediums will be featured together, including oil on canvas, metalwork, ceramic, prints, photography, and fashion. Prominent artists include Georgia O’Keeffe, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker, Mary Cassatt, Julia Margaret Cameron, Elizabeth Catlett, and Chiyo Mitsuhisa. The exhibition will encourage visitors to think critically about gender, representation, and diversity and how that translates to the museum’s collecting practices and gallery installations.
Women Breaking Boundaries is the museum’s main contribution and focal point to the larger ArtsWave Power of Her initiative. Visitors are encouraged to view Women Breaking Boundaries and explore the Cincinnati Art Museum permanent collection galleries that feature women. A free gallery map highlighting works by female artists and strong female subjects will be available at the entrance to the museum. Related programs will be held at the museum during the run of the exhibition, including Family First Saturday, Gallery Experiences, gallery talks and more. For a full list of programming, please visit the museum’s online calendar or find the information below.
Women Breaking Boundaries will be on view in the Vance Waddell and Mayerson Galleries (Galleries 124 and 125). Admission is free. Photography is encouraged, but no flash. On social media, use #WomenBreakingBoundaries and #PowerofHer.
Explore the Women’s Suffrage Mobile Garment Rack (WSMGR)
October 13, 2019 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Moving Images: Women Breaking Boundaries
Select Thursdays, November 7 2019–February 6, 2020 | 7 p.m.
Gallery Experience: Tour the Exhibition
November 10, 2019 | 3–4 p.m.
Gallery Experience: Family Story Time
March 22, 2020 | 3–4 p.m.
Community Opening
Saturday, October 12 | 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Join us to celebrate the opening of Women Breaking Boundaries. Explore the role of women in art and art history through works from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection. Enjoy food and explore the creativity of Greater Cincinnati's women-owned businesses in the Great Hall.
Panel Discussion: How Can We Champion the Role of Women in the Arts?
Saturday, October 12, 2019 | 2–3 p.m.
Join artist and activist Amanda Curreri (Visiting Artist, University of New Mexico / DAAP,University of Cincinnati) and Meg Rotzel (Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University) alongside local artists and community leaders as they explore the gender imbalance in the art world and the meaningful strides we can make towards positive change.
Explore the Women’s Suffrage Mobile Garment Rack (WSMGR)
October 13, 2019 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Join artist and social activist Amanda Curreri as she guides visitors in their engagement with the Women’s Suffrage Mobile Garment Rack (WSMGR).
First Thursday of every month from November 7, 2019 and including February 6, 2020 at 7 p.m.
Presented in partnership with Women in Film Cincinnati, this four-part series focuses on films directed by women and celebrates leaders and pioneers both on screen and behind the camera. Each event will close with a discussion with guests from the community and invited guests, including filmmakers and scholars. Learn more
Program dates:
November 7, 2019 | She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, Mary Dore, 2014
December 5, 2019 | Outrage, Ida Lupino, 1950
January 2, 2020 | My Days of Mercy, Tali Shalom Ezer, 2017
February 6, 2020 | Daughters of the Dust, Julie Dash, 1991
Gallery Experience: Tour the Exhibition
Sunday November 10, 2019 | 3–4 p.m.
Join curator Ainsley M. Cameron for an in-depth tour and discussion of the exhibition Women Breaking Boundaries. Explore the process involved in curating a show that includes works from across the museum’s permanent collection and discuss the meaningful strides the museum is making towards a more just gender representation in our collections.
Gallery Experience: Family Story Time
Sunday March 22, 2020 | 3–4 p.m.
Join curator Ainsley M. Cameron for a family-focused story time in the exhibition Women Breaking Boundaries. Suitable for children and adults of all ages, the books featured will highlight themes from the exhibition including body empowerment, identity, representation, and advocacy.
Public Tour with ASL Interpretation: Women Breaking Boundaries
Saturday, October 19 | 1–2 p.m.
A certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will join an Art Museum docent for a free tour of the exhibition.
Audio Description Tour: Women Breaking Boundaries
Saturday, December 14 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Family First Saturday
Saturday, November 2 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Spend the day with your family and celebrate our special exhibition, Women Breaking Boundaries, with free and fun activities for the whole family.
Artist Workshop: Wood-Working Women
Saturday, November 16 | 1–3 p.m.
Gallery Experience: Family Story Time
Sunday, March 22 | 3–4 p.m.
Join curator Ainsley M. Cameron for a family-focused story time in the exhibition Women Breaking Boundaries. Suitable for children and adults of all ages, the books featured will highlight themes from the exhibition including body empowerment, identity, representation, and advocacy.
Rosenthal Education Center: Girl Power!
Open Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursdays 11 a.m.–8 p.m., November 23, 2019–April 26, 2020
Girl Power! celebrates women artists represented in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection in a hands-on, family friendly way. Learn more about artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Lorna Simpson and Maria van Oosterwijck – as well as great artists based closer to home like Marie Louise McLaughlin and Dixie Selden. Contribute to a collaborative project celebrating the women in our lives, create artwork inspired by artists on view, and much more.
About the REC: The REC is a space for families to discover the Cincinnati Art Museum’s collection in a fun, immersive, hands-on, and safe manner. Open during regular Art Museum hours, the REC is located on the first floor, just off of the Great Hall.
MyCam Art Hunts: "Who Runs the World? Girls!"
About MyCam: MyCAM Art Hunts are digital tours that you customize. Choose from thematic art hunts to personalize your museum visit. Once you pick your hunt, you will be asked to pick five works that have been broken into themes. After you have made your selections, print your guide and bring it through the museum with you. Each MyCAM Art Hunt booklet is filled with creative prompts for looking at and responding to artworks in the galleries.
Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
Thursday, December 12, 2019 | 6–8 pm | Great Hall
Join us for a communal updating of Wikipedia entries on subjects related to gender, art and feminism. A response to the well-known gender gap on Wikipedia, Art+Feminism is an international campaign to improve content on women and the arts on Wikipedia, and to encourage women to participate in the online encyclopedia. We will provide tutorials for the beginner Wikipedian, reference materials and the trailblazing spirit of Women Breaking Boundaries and the Power of Her.
Bring your laptop if you’re able, plus ideas for entries that need updating or creation. For those interested in the cause but who don't wish to write or submit edits, we urge you to stop by to show your support. We invite people of all gender identities and expressions to participate, particularly transgender and cisgender women.
A comprehensive list of artworks by artists who identify as female, as well as works that portray strong female subjects, on view throughout the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection galleries from October 2019 to May 2020. The list is organized by gallery number and artworks in the gallery are identified by the Women Breaking Boundaries logo.
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The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign, the region's primary source for arts funding.
Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Exhibition pricing may vary. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free.
Generous support for our extended Thursday hours is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
General operating support provided by:
