The Women to Watch exhibition series is a collaboration between the museum and the national and international committees that increases the visibility of emerging and underrepresented artists from each committees’ respective region.

Since the first exhibition of the series in 2008, the Women to Watch program has increased the visibility of and critical response to promising women artists who are deserving of national and international attention.

In addition, the program is aimed at involving high quality art professionals, with diverse areas of expertise, in the committees’ activities. All active committees are invited to participate in this program.  Women to Watch provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the range and vibrancy of women artists working throughout the country, and the world at large, and bring them more visibility at NMWA.  Each exhibition focuses on a specific medium and/or theme chosen by the museum’s curators. 

Members of each committee work with NMWA staff to locate a contemporary art curator in their region to identify artists who are working in the medium or theme designated for each exhibition. The curator then creates a shortlist of artists, and NMWA’s curators select from the shortlist the artist whose work will be featured in the exhibition at the museum.