Center for Women's History
Explore women's history through exhibitions, programs, scholarship, and immersive multimedia.
About the center
Our Center for Women’s History is the first of its kind in the nation within the walls of a major museum. At the Center, we explore the lives and legacies of women who have shaped and continue to shape the American experience. As a hub for scholarship and education, the Center demonstrates how women across the spectrum of race, class, and sexuality exercised power and effected change. Guided by a committee of distinguished historians and informed by the latest research, the Center features permanent installations, temporary exhibitions, and a vibrant array of talks and programs, enriching the cultural landscape of New York City and creating new opportunities for historical discovery.
"Miss Rose Bower of North Dakota" Woman playing trumpet, wearing "Votes for Women" sash. Gelatin Silver Photograph, New-York Historical Society.
Major funding for the Center for Women's History programs provided by
The Estate of Jean Dubinsky Appleton
Claudine and Fred Bacher
James Basker and Angela Vallot
Joyce B. Cowin
Deutsche Bank
Diana and Joseph DiMenna
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation
Richard Gilder and Lois Chiles
Susan and Roger Hertog
Susan and Robert Klein
The Leonard & Judy Lauder Fund
Diane and Adam E. Max
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Jennifer and John Monsky
Amanda and Neal Moszkowski
Jean Margo Reid
Pam and Scott Schafler
Michelle Smith
Eric J. and Daria L. Wallach
Susan Waterfall
Leah and Michael R. Weisberg
Public funding for the Center for Women’s History
provided by
The New York City Council
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Empire State Development and I Love New York under
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Development Council Initiative
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Women’s History Salon series "A discussion of women in journalism in the 21st century." Irin Carmon and Joy-Ann Reid - November 28, 2017.
Photo: Sean Turi
Guided by its committee of expert scholars, the Center for Women’s History presents a full calendar of public events. Join us for exciting programs and intimate conversations with scholars, journalists, artists, writers, businesswomen, and more amazing leaders of today.
Lead support for the Center for Women's History programs provided by Joyce B. Cowin, Diane and Adam E Max, Jean Margo Reid, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Upcoming Events
Renegade Women in Hollywood: A Century of Pioneers Onscreen and Behind the Scenes
Friday, April 9 | 5:30 pm ET | Free
How much do you really know about Hollywood trailblazers like Anna May Wong, Ida Lupino, Dorothy Dandridge, or Elaine May? In her illustrated history, Renegade Women in Film and TV, film critic Elizabeth Weitzman blends biographical profiles and exclusive interviews with legends like Rita Moreno and Barbra Streisand to reveal the accomplishments of women who've graced the big and small screens, worked behind the scenes, and succeeded in the eras before #MeToo and Time's Up.
Reserve Now >
Past Events
Tasty Characters: Gender and Marketing in the Food World
Friday, March 12 | 6 pm ET | Free
The Center for Women’s History spotlights exciting female entrepreneurs in the food and fine dining worlds. Join Dana Cowin—former editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine and host of the podcast Speaking Broadly—as she interviews brilliant and powerful women about their research, tastes, and careers.
Native American Women and Suffrage: "Citizenship in the Land that was Once Her Own"
Friday, November 6 | 5:30–6:15 pm ET | Free
Commemorate Native American Heritage Month with our expert panel of author and historians and remember the Native American women whose struggle for full citizenship and tribal sovereignty broadens our understanding of the suffrage movement beyond the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
