The National Women’s Hall of Fame is launching a series of bold and immersive exhibitions this summer, each illuminating overlooked stories and honoring groundbreaking contributions by women in American history.
Opening August 1, Mary Church Terrell and The Traveling Griots: Exemplars of Black Womanhood pays tribute to the Hall of Fame inductee and her circle of African American civil rights pioneers. Featuring life-size dolls in period dress and inspired by the West African griot tradition, the exhibit brings these women’s voices to life through storytelling, poetry, and visual art.
Created by cultural historian Dr. Kim Cliett Long, the exhibit is a collaboration with Oakwood University, the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute, and the Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. “Lifting As We Climb,” Terrell’s motto, serves as the exhibit’s guiding principle.
Also on view is Avenida Nosara, a solo exhibition by visual artist Pamela Araya. Through vivid color and symbolic storytelling, Araya explores themes of colonization, displacement, and Indigenous resilience in Latin America. An opening reception and artist talk were held June 28.
Visitors can also experience Creating Childhood Wonder: Women Illustrators of the Golden Age, a celebration of early 20th-century female illustrators whose whimsical art helped shape American childhood education. Curated by Molly Dano in partnership with Syracuse University’s Museum Studies program, the show spotlights the talent and vision of women who thrived in a male-dominated industry.
The National Women’s Hall of Fame, located in Seneca Falls, continues to inspire future generations through these timely and transformative exhibits.
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