Welcome!

Dear Friends, I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of the sponsors and supporters who helped make the RISD Museum Associates’ Spring Fundraiser such a fun evening to benefit the RISD Museum. Over $80,000 was raised to support exhibitions, conservation, and programming for learners of all ages. We hope those of you who were able to attend found Katy Hessel’s presentation as thought-provoking as we did! I’m thrilled to share that in addition to press coverage just last week in Vogue, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CBS, PBS, and more, The Story of Art Without Men landed on the New York Times bestseller list and is on back order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble! So, if you got a book at our event, it was one of the last ones currently available! We hope all of you will come back to visit the RISD Museum soon and consider joining as a member. With so many exhibitions, events, and programs, there is something for everyone! For those of you who couldn’t make it, we hope you’ll join us next time! Thank you again for your generosity. With gratitude,

Kris Connell RISD Museum Associates Chair

 

AFTER THREE YEARS OF PANDEMIC PAUSE, THE RISD MUSEUM ASSOCIATES ARE BACK WITH AN

IN-PERSON FUNDRAISER IN MAY 2023! 

It’s the RISD Museum Associates’ 67th Annual Spring Fundraiser! Join us for a conversation with best-selling author and art historian, Katy Hessel, as she discusses her new book, The Story of Art Without Men. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a look at work by some great women artists in the RISD Museum to follow. Books will be available for purchase and author signing. Be part of this Rhode Island tradition today!

In 2015, art historian Katy Hessel attended an art fair and despite the thousands of artworks there, realized that not one was by a woman. This sparked a flurry of self-reflection: could she name twenty women artists off the top of her head? How about pre-1950? Any pre-1850? The answers were no, and she soon launched @thegreatwomenartists (an homage to Linda Nochlin’s groundbreaking essay, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?), writing daily posts spotlighting women artists ranging from recent graduates to Old Masters working across every medium. A podcast of the same name was launched soon after. Now, nearly seven years later, comes Hessel’s first book, The Story of Art Without Men, which re-writes the canon of art history, offering an insight into the work of non-male artists who have contributed to the ‘story of art.’

ABOUT KATY HESSEL

Katy Hessel is an art historian, broadcaster, curator and the best-selling author of The Story of Art Without Men, winner of Waterstones Book of the Year 2022. (The U.S. edition is published by W.W. Norton, May 2, 2023.) Dedicated to celebrating women artists from all over the world, she runs @thegreatwomenartists Instagram and The Great Women Artists Podcast, where she has interviewed the likes of Tracey Emin, Marina Abramovic and authors Ali Smith and Deborah Levy. Katy has presented numerous art documentaries for the BBC, writes a bi-monthly column for the Guardian, and is a Visiting Fellow of Cambridge University.

ABOUT THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN

The story of art for our times—one with women at the center, brought together for the first time by the creator of @thegreatwomenartists.

From Leonardo da Vinci to Jean-Michel Basquiat, the great painters and sculptors who have defined the fine art canon have largely been men. Katy Hessel seeks to right that wrong by cataloging, celebrating, and elevating women artists and placing their groundbreaking work in its historical, political, and cultural context. From the Renaissance to the present day, Hessel breaks down each time period and movement using a global lens, expanding the canon to include the work of non-Western artists, queer and racially marginalized artists, photographers, textile artists, and more.

Discover the glittering Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance and the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth century. Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of post-war artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Featuring more than 100 works of art in color, The Story of Art Without Men is a timeless and essential addition to any library. The U.S. edition of The Story of Art Without Men is published by W.W. Norton and available May 2, 2023.

ABOUT THE RISD MUSEUM ASSOCIATES

In 1956, the RISD Museum Associates – a small group of women who believed in the importance of the arts – set out to stimulate public interest in and support the RISD Museum, foster the growth of its collections, and increase public awareness and use of its facilities. Today, the Museum Associates continue to volunteer their time and talents to support the Museum. Funds from the group’s distinctive annual fundraisers contribute to a range of museum initiatives including K-12 educational and public programming, such as the popular Super Art Sundays, the Radeke Garden, as well as exhibitions, curatorial upkeep, and acquisitions.

The Museum Associates are among the largest contributors to the RISD Museum.

Contact:

Kris Connell, Museum Associates Chair at 917-992-1003 or kristenjconnell@gmail.com

General Inquiries: 

RISDMuseumassociates1956@gmail.com