Women’s History Month: How museums can honor and celebrate

A person admiring a colorful painting in an art gallery.

The month of March is officially designated as Women’s History Month, and we also celebrate March 8 as International Women’s Day (IWD).

Each March and year-round, the American Alliance of Museums joins other cultural organizations across the country in honoring and recognizing women’s crucial contributions and achievements across history. This month emphasizes the endeavors of women towards gender equality and their notable impacts in politics, science, art, and social reform. By reflecting on these trailblazers, Women’s History Month celebrates their legacy and encourages ongoing advocacy for an inclusive, equitable society.

This celebration stems from international labor protests for women’s rights in the early twentieth century that eventually led to the celebration of International Women’s Day annually on March 8; then a week in March designated in the US as Women’s History Week; and later, the month of March proclaimed as Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Alliance selects the annual theme; this 2024, it is “Women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion,” spotlighting those, past and present, who are dedicated to eradicating bias and discrimination.”

Explore related resources from AAM:

Resource on Equitable Hiring Practices

Museums as a Pink Collar Profession by Joan Baldwin

Women’s Locker Room Talk: Gender and Leadership in Museums by Kaywin Feldman

Museopunks Episode 23: The Gendered Museum by Suse Anderson

Join #5WomenArtists by Stacy Meteer

#5WomenArtists Shaping Museum Practice by Elizabeth Merritt

The Question of Gender: The “Unseen” Problem in Museum Workplaces by Joan Baldwin

Collecting Girlhood: Why the new activist museum is virtual by Tiffany Rhoades Isselhardt

Articles and stories from across the museum field:

“Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Celebrates Women’s History Month 2024 With Inaugural Digital Exhibition and New Initiatives” – Smithsonian News Release

“How Women Shaped Our Nation: Inspiring Today’s Students with a Peek into the Past” from the Institute of Museum and Library Services blog

“Celebrate Women’s History Month with ‘Women of a Certain Age’: A digital exhibition on Google Arts & Culture” from Smithsonian Magazine

“This Museum Tour Is the Perfect Guide to Celebrating Women’s History in Style” from Smithsonian Magazine

“Women Who Shape History: Education Resources” from Smithsonian Magazine

“Increasingly, Women Are Running the World’s Great Museums” from The New York Times

“Is a Women’s Museum Still Relevant?” from The New York Times

“Women Are the Post-Apocalyptic Future” from Hyperallergic

“Women and Spiritualism in Art” from Hyperallergic

“Why is women’s art largely missing from the galleries and museums? An ArtWeek interview probes this question” from The Aspen Times

“Museums Without Men: my project to end their shocking gender imbalance” from The Guardian

“Curator Katy Hessel’s Museum Audio Guides Spotlight Overlooked Women Artists” from Artnet

“Old Sturbridge Village Rethinks How It Presents The Past” from WBUR

“Creativity, courage, tenderness: Women in art of the Vatican Museums” from Vatican News

“The staggering lack of female artists in America’s museums” from Axios

“New exhibit spotlights the impact of Black feminists in Washington” from The Washington Post

“Women’s History Month: Honoring women for their courage, character and commitment” from The Washington Post

“Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Focuses on Forgotten Figures” from The New York Times

“Women Inspire | Celebrating Women’s History Month at the California Museum” – a 2 min. news segment from ABC10

“Seattle’s Pacific Science Center celebrates Women’s History Month with special exhibit” from King 5

“Museum of Motherhood celebrates Women’s History Month” from Scripps News

“Hands On Museum visionary reflects on Ann Arbor science center’s history” from WXYZ Detroit

“Women’s Participation in Public Life in the Early 1800s” from Thought Co.

Additional resources from:

American Association for State and Local History:

Technical Leaflet on Interpreting the Histories of Women

Recorded Book Talk – Interpreting the Legacy of Women’s Suffrage

Recorded Webinar – History Check-In: Women’s Suffrage

Library of Congress:

Free to Use and Reuse: Women’s History Month

National Archives:

Women’s History has research resources, video discussions, magazine articles, and educational materials for students, educators, and historians.

National Endowment for the Arts:

Celebrating Women’s History Month! by NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD (March, 2024)

National Endowment for the Humanities:

Teacher’s Guide to Women’s History in the United States

National Park Service:

Women’s History Month – NPS Commemorations and Celebrations (U.S. National Park Service)

National Women’s History Alliance:

Resources include the NWHA 2024 Women’s History Month Tool Kit (Word), Sample Proclamation, and Activity Certificate.

National Women’s History Museum (NWHM):

Explore the museum’s Resources for Educators and Students, including biographies, filtering by topic, downloadable posters, and more.

The museum offers a Speaker’s Bureau for those looking to book a speaker who can provide context about women’s history to contemporary issues.

The museum offers Women’s History 101 Virtual Talks, which can be booked with the NWHM education staff to ask them questions and learn more about women’s history with your group or community.

Office of American Spaces – The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs:

Resource Toolkit for American Spaces (.pdf)

Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum:

Learning resources for everyone, from early learners to researchers.

Smithsonian Education:

The Women’s History Month page includes events, resources, podcast episodes, and exhibitions that tell a diversity of women’s stories.

The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization:

International Women’s Day

Unladylike2020:

Unladylike2020 is a collection of 26 short films and a one-hour documentary featuring diverse, lesser-known American women from the early 20th century and their modern successors.

Inspiration for how you or your museum might get involved:

Get inspiration from other museums in March or throughout the year:

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum created a digital exhibition, Becoming Visible, narrated by Rosario Dawson.
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) offers a docent-led tour on the abolition efforts of iconic Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman, and viewing of artworks by Alison Saar and Bisa Butler, whose colorful quilt pays tribute to Tubman.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) holds an annual “Girls in STEM Days,” offering girls and families a weekend event to enjoy STEM activities and discover potential career paths in a fun and engaging manner.
The University of Boulder, Colorado Art Museum offers the new exhibition, “Museum for Black Girls: ‘We CU: A Visual Celebration of Black Womanhood, Presence, and Connectedness’,“ and an artist-in-residence program that invites artists to mine museum and library collections to create new artwork that address political and/or social issues.
The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) hosts Latina artisans selling handmade crafts, artwork, and traditional goods in conjunction with International Women’s Day, to showcase the creativity of Latina artists.
The National Women’s History Museum and Library of Congress teamed up to host a virtual “Transcribe-A-Thon” to make the writings and legacy of Clara Barton (Nurse, educator, philanthropist, lecturer, and founder of the American Red Cross) more accessible to all.
The New York State Museum (NYSM) throws an annual Family History Day about women’s history, including hands-on history, curator-led exhibit tours, and a short-film series, as well as host of events throughout the month.
At the Field Museum’s “Meet a Scientist” event, visitors can interact with women in science who hold various positions at the museum to hear more about their work and the collections.
The Library of Congress hosts a panel featuring novelists who have written new historical fiction centered on pioneering Black women, including the inspiration behind their writing.
Capitol Park Museum in Louisiana hosts a trivia night focused on women of the state who have made an impact.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts celebrates International Women’s Day with a hybrid event of yoga classes, flash tattoos inspired by collections, gallery talks, and more.
The Ebell of Los Angeles hosts a variety of events, from a one-woman play and school performances to an author talk, an art show/reception, educational lunch, and free public symposium.
The Chicago History Museum (CHM) created a Commemorative Day, featuring interactive activities that highlight the actions of women of all backgrounds and the need for equity and inclusion efforts in the city.
The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (DAR) celebrates with a costume party, encouraging guests to dress up as their favorite female icon or create their own unique costume inspired by the past.

Sharing with the field

Did your museum honor or celebrate Women’s History in March, or any time of year? Consider pitching an idea about your museum’s work with your community, how your museum worked internally on the initiative or program, or another relevant angle for museum professionals. We are always looking for posts that empower museum professionals to do their best work; reveal new ideas and connections; and speak to a wide breadth of museum types, sizes, and disciplines.

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