To Become a Member

For membership related questions click here.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a NAWA member.

The National Association of Women Artists will open applications January 15th for new members to be juried mid-March. Please apply after that date if you are not already part of the organization and share with any fellow woman artists who might be interested in joining!

The next deadline is March 15, 2025.

*** Application for NAWA Membership will open on January 15, 2025 ***

What are the benefits of NAWA membership and what separates us from other women’s art organizations?

HISTORY:

  • NAWA is the first professional women’s art organization in the U.S. It was established in 1889 by five women (Anita C. Ashley, Adelle Frances Bedell, Elizabeth S. Cheever, Grace Fitz-Randolph and Edith Mitchill Prellwitz) because they could not exhibit their work in galleries, museums and salons
  • Women artists are juried into membership by their professional peers
  • NAWA members and their work are catalogued in the NAWA historic archive. The archive and image files are available to curators and scholars. The NAWA catalogs, exhibitions, programs, events, advertising, presentations, press releases and membership activities are also archived at: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum and Rutgers University Library; Museum of Modern Art; National Museum of Women in the Arts; Smithsonian Institution Archive; Ryerson Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago; Frick Art Reference Library; New York Public Library; the Film and Fine Arts Library, Littauer Center, Harvard University; and the Library of Congress

BENEFITS FOR SIGNATURE MEMBERSHIP:

DUES: between August 1 and September 30 : $175.
(late fees apply starting Oct. 1 + $15 = $190; starting Nov. 1 + 25 = $200)

Exhibition and Event Opportunities

  • Automatic entry into Annual Members Exhibition/juried for awards (fees apply)
  • Eligible for NAWA juried exhibitions- galleries, museums, art centers, libraries, cultural centers throughout the USA
  • Discounted entry fees for OPEN shows
  • Online exhibitions featured on NAWA website homepage
  • Eligible for over $20,000 plus in awards given out at numerous NAWA exhibitions
  • Eligible for the (open) biennial $5,000 award for direct carving sculpture
  • Opportunity to initiate national, regional, or local exhibitions
  • Annual Members Meeting & Luncheon (fees apply), and yearly Induction Ceremony
  • Eligible for membership in any or all of the NAWA Chapters in Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts (dues apply)

Communication, Involvement and Education Benefits

  • Weekly newsletter: This Week with NAWA
  • Emailed notifications (receptions, events, exhibitions, Annual Luncheon, calls for entry, etc.)
  • Access to the NAWA Member Portal on the website www.thenawa.org for all Signature Member information
  • Networking and Mentoring
  • Volunteer opportunities (all positions). Members with 16 volunteer hours or more are eligible for Art Angels, an online exhibition
  • Programming for Artist Educators and Authors
  • Eligible for Professional Business Practices for Artists, Round Table Zoom attendance and other presentations, programs and panel discussions
  • Access to archived NAWA educational programs through the Member Portal

Promotion Benefits

  • Receive a NAWA printed catalog, and eligibility to list in Catalog Member Gallery (fee applies)– this publication is archived at numerous major art museums, libraries, major cultural institutions, and the National Archive
  • NAWA Now Magazine – a quarterly online publication
  • Eligible for Artist of the Week, and Art in Conversation with Farrin video interviews
  • Eligible to create user-generated Member Gallery page on NAWA website: available for curators and collectors to choose artwork
  • Exclusive access to NAWA Members (only) Facebook page
  • Members and events are promoted on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Channel
  • Opportunity to chat with a NAWA Executive Committee representative on “Noon With NAWA” feature

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP:
DUES : $60 for Women Artists who are not Signature Members are encouraged to apply for Signature Membership

  • Eligible for entry into all NAWA OPEN exhibitions
  • Weekly newsletter: This Week With NAWA
  • Access to NAWA Now online magazine
  • Opportunity to chat with NAWA Executive Committee representative on “Noon With NAWA” feature
  • Mailing list notifications (receptions, open events, exhibitions, Annual Luncheon invite)
  • Eligible for archived Professional Business Practices for Artists, Round Table and other presentations, programs and panel discussions
  • Opportunity for portfolio review prior to application for Signature Membership
  • Annual online exhibition for Graduating and Associate Members
  • Networking and Mentoring

GRADUATING STUDENT MEMBERS FREE YEAR 1:
DUES : $0

  • Eligible for entry into all NAWA OPEN exhibitions
  • Weekly newsletter: This Week with NAWA
  • Access to NAWA Now online magazine
  • Opportunity to chat with NAWA Executive Committee representative on “Noon With NAWA” feature
  • Mailing list notifications (receptions, open events, exhibitions, Annual Luncheon invite)
  • Eligible for archived Professional Business Practices for Artists, Round Table and other presentations, programs and panel discussions
  • Opportunity for portfolio review prior to application for Signature Membership
  • Annual online exhibition for Graduating and Associate Members
  • Networking and Mentoring

GRADUATING STUDENT MEMBERS YEAR 2, 3, 4:
DUES : $50, $75, $100

  • GS Member must apply directly after the free year for juried-in Signature membership for the discounted dues
  • All Signature Membership benefits apply.
  • Without application for Signature Membership, the GS Membership expires