Celebrating Black Women Printmakers 

As winter gives way to spring, and we emerge from a frightening chapter of the pandemic, many venues around the city are eager to host in-person events again. That’s not exactly an option for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, however, which is currently undergoing a renovation. But that’s not stopping them from inviting art lovers to celebrate women artists, whether gathering virtually or elsewhere in the city. Though many museums have made efforts to better represent women artists, NMWA is the first in the world to solely dedicate their collections to championing women artists of every race, class, country of origin, and sexuality. To continue that mission during their renovation (and previously in its COVID response), the museum has been hosting a number of virtual talks celebrating unsung creators. This week, the museum hosts a virtual happy hour called Celebrating Black Women Printmakers. As Carolyn Higgins, the museum’s senior membership manager, tells City Paper, “Black women artists are pioneers and innovators in printmaking, but rarely celebrated. It’s important to bring to light Black women artists because they are vital to the entirety of art history but often omitted from the story.” During the event, Andra “AJ” Johnson, bar director of the Serenata/Zumo cocktail bar in La Cosecha, will demonstrate how to make specialty cocktails and mocktails, inspired by printmaking trailblazers Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Lorna Simpson, and Mickalene Thomas. NMWA has shared the recipes and ingredients on their website, so attendees can prepare drinks as they learn about the impact of these artists. Cheers to them. The virtual happy hour begins at 5:30 p.m. on March 16 on Zoom. nmwa.org. Free.