photo source: NAWA staff member
by Jill Cliffer Baratta, MFA, NAWA Executive Director
College Art Association Conference
The College Art Association Conference, in its 114th year in 2026, features a Book Fair at which NAWA has sponsored a booth for the past four years. This year the Conference occurred in Chicago, where there were 150 interactions at our booth.
On Friday, February 20, 2026, NAWA Honorary Vice President Gail Levin held a book sale and signing at the NAWA booth of her just-released biography of Alice Baber. [Ed. Note: See related article in this issue].
Baber’s art and name were suppressed in the past, but Levin has researched and revived Baber’s story in this new book. She had work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and many galleries as an abstract expressionist in 1950’s-1980’s New York City. I have started reading this volume and recommend it highly for Alice Baber’s story and its value as another glimpse into the art scene of that era, including the downtown scene, Cedar Tavern intrigue, and more.
Meanwhile, back at the NAWA booth, NAWA Historian Susan Rostan and I spoke to artists, professors, writers and art historians, collecting names and emails, especially promoting the upcoming build-out of the writer membership category (stay tuned). Many attendees already knew about NAWA, but most did not, so this is a wonderful way to expand NAWA visibility.
Membership News
The current Membership Drive is running through March 15, after which new Signature Members will be juried into NAWA. We expand our sisterhood twice yearly with these membership drives, and this has enhanced the wealth of artists in the organization, garnered interest in creating more regional Chapters, and enriched the ranks with more skilled and talented women who band together with NAWA to show excellence in artwork and creativity. The Membership Committee will be doing outreach to help engage Signature Members in volunteer activities. Engagement in many areas has increased markedly in the past year, attributed to social media, more stability in operations, word of mouth, and general enthusiasm.
Strategic Planning & Implementation
- The Finance Committee is meeting regularly
- NAWA Fundraising: we have three important fundraisers working on acquiring donations and grants
- Implementing the NAWA Visibility Project Grant from an anonymous donor.
- Panel Discussions
- NAWA Promotional Video being shown and promoted currently
- NAWA Now Magazine preparing a special print edition
- Samar Hussaini hired as Committee Coordinator part time to assist in integration & scheduling
- Informative Professional Practices Round Table sessions & recordings
- Ongoing website edits
Art Angels
NAWA member volunteers are racking up those hours. Additional sponsorship is sought so we might have the Art Angels Exhibit in-person and perhaps help artists with shipping costs. The American Spirit Company has agreed to continue sponsoring the Art Angels, so it will definitely be happening with no entry fee, as before. This exhibit is a “thank you” to those member volunteers who donate a minimum of 16 hours of their time and report it to the office or submit on Bloomerang Volunteer.
Exhibitions
NAWA is booked with exhibitions for 2026 and booking into 2027 and 2028 now. The Sasse Museum in Pomona, CA exhibit, Pacific Influence, came off beautifully with good reviews and one sale (see related story in this issue). A big thanks to Art Angel member Jeni Bate!
NAWA’s first printmaking media exhibition in recent memory is up at the prestigious Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut through March 28.
Coming soon: the historic exhibit, “She the People,” opening in April and running through July 2026, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; the NAWA Annual Members’ Exhibit, returning to the Leonovich Gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City; and, the repeating Flushing Bank, Aloft Hotel, Summer Small Works exhibitions.
Support
Please showcase the support you or your company give to living women artists. Make the visionaries visible. Donate or advertise on our website or in this magazine.
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