FAQS - General Questions
What is the mission of the National Women's History Museum?The National Women’s History Museum affirms the value of knowing Women’s History, illuminates the role of women in transforming society and encourages all people, women and men, to participate in democratic dialogue about our future.
To do this, the Museum will research, collect and exhibit the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic and political life of our nation in a context of world history. The Museum will use innovative and engaging means including permanent and traveling exhibits, its Online Museum, educational programs, and outreach efforts to communicate the breath of women's experiences and accomplishments to the widest possible audience. The sharing of this knowledge will illuminate and encourage women and men, people of all classes, races and cultures to move into the future with respect, equal confidence, greater partnership, and opportunity.
Why "women's history" - isn't it all just "history?"
Women's contributions and accomplishments for the most part have been overlooked and consequently omitted from mainstream culture. The National Women's History Museum will help fill that void. Rather than rewriting current exhibitions at other history museums or having to decide what to omit elsewhere to "fit in" women's history, the NWHM will serve to place women's history along side current historical exhibitions.
Women’s history is half of our national story. The objective is to promote scholarship and expand our knowledge of American history.
Why not just partner with the Susan B. Anthony House or another women's history site?
There's a great art museum in Philadelphia, but we still have the National Gallery of Art in DC!
Women's history is a lot more diverse than most people realize. Our Museum is the only Museum with the mission to reclaim women’s history and create an accurate historical record which is appropriate for a national museum. Other organizations have different missions.
There is some confusion in the Washington area because there is a National Museum of Women in the Arts. Their focus is women artists; ours is women’s history. It’s an education process.
Think of it this way: if you went to an American history museum, you wouldn't just learn about the Revolutionary War, you'd learn all sorts of things from before and after the Declaration of Independence. It's the same thing with women's history - there's more than suffrage and the 19th Amendment.
When was the NWHM founded?
Where are you located?
The National Women's History Museum currently has administrative offices in Alexandria, VA while it works towards the goal of a permanent museum site. Staff will continue to work from this office until the museum opens.
How can I contact you?
You can call the Museum at 703-461-1920 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m - 5 p.m. If you call outside those hours (or all our lines are busy) leave a voicemail message, and someone will return your call as soon as possible.
If you prefer, you can email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Or write to us - our mailing address is:
National Women's History Museum
205 S. Whiting Street Suite 254
Alexandria, VA 22304