The Norton Museum of Art is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its "Recognition of Art by Women" (RAW) series with a solo exhibition by painter Danielle Mckinney titled "Shelter" and a retrospective of past participants. Since its inception in 2011, the RAW initiative has provided a significant platform for mid-career women artists, featuring notable figures such as Jenny Saville and Rose B. Simpson. Mckinney’s exhibition, curated by J. Rachel Gustafson, explores themes of domestic and mental interiority through intimate, spotlighted paintings that often reference art historical canon.
This initiative highlights a significant shift in institutional gender parity within the art world. While the Burns Halperin Report noted that women artists represented less than 15% of major museum exhibitions between 2008 and 2020, the Norton Museum averaged 44% during that same period, increasing to 57% in recent years. By consistently dedicating resources to women artists, the Norton serves as a model for addressing systemic underrepresentation and challenging the historical dominance of male artists in museum spaces.