by Patrice Boyes, Editor

This October 2025 issue of NOW, the NAWA Magazine, marks a “grand re-opening” of a publication that started as a newsletter years ago under Sandra Bertrand and later expanded to an online magazine helmed by the recently retired Sarah Katz.  I am fortunate to have these women to look to for institutional knowledge of NAWA and for their continued involvement in the magazine.

I am pleased to present the revamped magazine, which features smoother navigation between and among articles and NAWA’s home page, a redesigned logo, and space to feature advertising spots. (Please contact us if you want to place an ad.)

You will find a lot of your favorite NOW features re-packaged and easily accessed in the magazine’s top menu bar, which now has targeted pull-down menus:

  • The “Features” tab will introduce you to “Artist at Work,” which explores NAWA members’ techniques and backgrounds. Also, under the “Features” menu will be news of interest to NAWA members, obituaries, and articles about significant member exhibitions.
  • Select “Interviews” for featured in-depth artists’ profiles. This issue’s Interview is with Mary Beth Rothman, who served as the NAWA Annual Luncheon speaker in June 2025 at the National Arts Club, and whose art is featured on this issue’s cover.
  • And, finally, go to “Columns” in the Menu bar for a selection of updates from the Editor, and from the NAWA President, Executive Director, Committee Chairs, Chapter Chats, and for NAWA Awards.

One of the important goals with this redesign is to boost the magazine’s presence on the internet, and, in turn, reinforce NAWA’s presence to better serve you, the artist members. We have deployed web designers’ techniques, including # hashtags and metadata, to also raise the profile of the artists who contribute their articles to NOW. Incidentally, anyone who is a member of NAWA is encouraged to pitch story ideas and/or write for the magazine, or to help with copy-editing or creating digital signatures for articles (e.g., hash tagging, meta data). For example, if you know of an exhibition in your area of the country that features women artists, we want to know about it, please. Likewise, if there is a fascinating artist in your NAWA Chapter, we want to know more about her and her work. (We endeavor to keep the focus on visual art, so, please, no material that would be more appropriate for a literary magazine.)

And finally, hats off to the new managing editors of NOW, who have assisted greatly in bringing this redesigned magazine to you. First, thanks to Jen Haefeli, NOW Managing Editor-Digital, who was by my side all Summer as we tested and refined the new magazine layout with NAWA’s very talented webmaster, Elizabeth Cline. I am so grateful for their digital prowess and patience with this very analog, former print journalist. A huge thank you also to Micheline Klagsbrun, NOW Managing Editor-Content, for wrangling the elements of the magazine into a user-friendly format. She also took on the yeoman’s job of working with our artists who volunteer to write articles for NOW, and for being on the front line of editing all of our copy into shape. Her publications background is certainly an asset to the magazine. NAWA benefits from these artists’ dedication to NAWA.

Please enjoy the new NOW.