The National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Museum of Women: Preserving Women’s Heritage and Empowering Women

Abstract

The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., in the United States, and the Museum of Women (Musée de la Femme) in Longueuil, Canada, were founded with the objective of making women visible in museum collections and promoting gender equality in society. Can they be considered feminist museums? Feminist museology is not limited to describing the past and the present; on the contrary, it raises questions and paves the way for an egalitarian future. A feminist museum aims to raise awareness and change mentalities. Despite their shared ambition of acting on behalf of women with the help of a museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Museum of Women reflect two different approaches. A comparison of these case studies sheds light on two different solutions for integrating gender into museums. How do these two museums fulfil their missions through their permanent collections and temporary exhibitions? How does a museum become a means for encouraging social change? Their collections raise awareness of women's history and offer new interpretations of objects. Both museums try to change the way visitors look at the past and contemporary society by offering different readings of history and art history. Despite their differences, both make visitors aware of gender inequality in museums and the world.