Courtesy Library of Congress.
Women are involved in the arts at every level in the United States. They grace the stage and screen as performers. They paint, sculpt, weave, sketch, photograph, and design. They use the written word to provoke and inspire. Women have collected, funded, and shared art with the public.
Even when they have been barred from training or gone unsung and overlooked, women’s creativity has transformed American art. On this page, you will find some of their stories.
How do you share your creativity with the world?
Writers
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PlaceEmily Dickinson HouseEmily Dickinson, noted American poet, was born and lived the majority of her life in this Amherst, MA house.
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PlaceFrances Ellen Watkins Harper HousePoet, novelist, civil rights and women's rights activist Frances Harper lived in this Philadelphia rowhouse from 1870 until 1911.
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Poet & CriticAlice Dunbar NelsonPoet, critic, journalist, and activist Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
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NovelistHarriet Beecher StoweHarriet Beecher Stowe was best known as the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a bestselling novel that dramatized the horrors of slavery.
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PlaceThe WaysideHome of the Alcott family, this home in Concord, MA was the site of many family scenes that inspired Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women.
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PoetPhillis WheatleyAcclaimed poet Phillis Wheatley was one of the first Black and enslaved Americans to publish a book of poems.
Visual Artists
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SculptorRuth AsawaRuth Asawa's daring wire sculptures are in museums and public spaces across the country.
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WeaverIda BlackeagleArtist Ida Blackeagle was instrumental to the revitalization and preservation of Nimíipuu basket weaving.
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SculptorEdmonia LewisBlack and Native American artist Edmonia Lewis overcame racial and gender barriers to achieve international acclaim for her sculpture.
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PainterAnn Axtell MorrisArcheologist, artist, and writer Ann Axtell Morris sketched and painted dig sites in the American Southwest and Mexico.
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PlaceGeorgia O'Keeffe Home and StudioThe home and studio of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe in Abiquiu, NM is one of the most important artistic sites in the southwestern US.
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PlacePond Farm Pottery Historic DistrictCeramist and teacher Marguerite Wildenhain lived, worked, and taught at Pond Farm, a center of the studio pottery movement.
Performers
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SingerMarian Anderson and Constitution HallIn 1939, the all-white Daughters of the American Revolution denied the use of its Constitution Hall by famous Black singer Marian Anderson.
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PlaceApollo TheaterHarlem's Apollo Theater has nurtured and showcased Black talent for decades, ranking it one of the US's most important cultural resources.
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ChoirChopin ChoirSalem, MA's Chopin Choral Society was part of a widespread network of organizations that celebrated Polish culture.
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SingerElizabeth Taylor GreenfieldElizabeth Taylor Greenfield was the first African American opera singer who became popular in the United States and Europe.
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SingerSissieretta JonesSissieretta Jones was an internationally famous singer who was the first African American to perform at Carnegie Hall.
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SingerJenny LindJenny Lind, known as the "Swedish Nightingale," was a worldwide singing sensation who toured the United States in the early 1850s.
Discover More Stories of Women and the Arts
Showing results 1-10 of 80
- Type: Person
Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson was an author and anthropologist who wrote about African decolonization, African American civil rights, and international politics.
- Type: Person
Anna Hyatt Huntington was an artist who specialized in sculpting lifelike animals. She was one of the most commercially successful sculptors of her era.
- Type: Person
Alice Austen was a photographer who documented the lively activities of her female social circle at the turn of the century in New York City.
- Type: Person
- Locations: Boston National Historical Park, Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Reformer and writer Julia Ward Howe is most famous for writing the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" during the American Civil War and the "Mother's Day Proclamation" (1870). She advocated for the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, and peace.
- Type: Article
The Apollo Theater in New York is an icon of the American jazz explosion and the Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th century, a cultural movement, which greatly influenced American arts and literature and has significant ties to various LGB communities. The Apollo became one of the most influential centers of black culture, showcasing some of the country's most popular artists and introducing new talent to the world through their infamous amateur nights.
- Type: Person
Katharine Lee Bates was a professor and writer best remembered as the author of the lyrics to the song “America the Beautiful.” She shared a home for almost three decades with her companion, fellow academic and social reformer Katharine Coman.
- Type: Article
Gathering places such as parks, people’s living rooms, and city streets are foundational to identities and communities. In these spaces, LGB Latinos formed groups, found refuge, resisted oppression, and created a deeper sense of what it means to be Latino and LGB. Explore the role of 6 historic places in celebrating Latino LGB visibility and community in the US.
- Type: Article
This article offers activities relating to poet Katharine Lee Bates. She is most well known for her poem “America” (also known as "America the Beautiful").
- Type: Article
Latino, African American, Native American and Indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ communities create murals to share their identity and history. While murals all share the large format and public presence, they depict a variety of artistic styles and cultures. When we look at these murals, we can see how communities celebrate their accomplishments, memorialize their pasts and advocate for the future.
- Muir Woods National Monument
Elsa Gidlow's "Chains of Fires"
- Type: Article
- Locations: Muir Woods National Monument
When Elsa Gidlow first laid eyes on the land above Muir Woods National Monument, she knew it was “the place to realize a dream.” That dream was Druid Heights, her home from the mid-1950s until her death in 1986. As a lesbian writer, poet, and philosopher she refused to conform to mainstream America’s ideas about family, love, and home. Every year she lit a Winter Solstice Fire, a ritual that connected her with women across time.
Last updated: December 8, 2021