Women Artists: Meeting the Challenge

It’s no secret that women artists often have a more difficult time than their male counterparts in not only succeeding in their careers, but in the prices paid for their work and in the collectability of that work by museums. It’s a topic that has been quietly discussed for many years, but now is gaining awareness, due in part to members of American Women Artists (AWA), who were shocked when they realized that women artists represent only 3 to 5 percent of artwork in museum collections. As a result, the group has launched 25 in 25, a campaign to have one museum show each year for the next 25 years and already has scheduled several shows.

Like many of you, we at Art of the West have been aware of this disparity but, until now, we have not addressed the issue. In order to better understand the challenges women face in the art world and how they deal with them, we recently visited with Carrie Ballantyne, Bonnie Marris, and Terri Kelly Moyers, artists who, through dedication and determination, have achieved great success.