Museum of Women in the Arts Recognised with a 'Webby'
Across the world museums, galleries and libraries are relying more than ever on social media and the internet to stay connected to their followers and share their work. This week one museum has received one of ‘the internet’s highest honour’ in recognition of the great work it is achieving through its social media accounts.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Social Media Account in the Art and Culture Category.
The Webby Awards was established in 1996 and is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) to honour excellence on the internet. This year marks their 24th year and saw nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries across seven categories: Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Social, Apps, Mobile, & Voice, Games, and Podcasts.
The Webby Awards presents two honours in every category—The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award. Members of the IADAS select the Nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the Winners of The Webby Awards. In the spirit of the open Web, The Webby People’s Voice is awarded by the voting public. Each year, The Webby People’s Voice Awards garners millions of votes from all over the world.
NMWA won The Webby People’s Voice Award for its overall presence on Instagram - @WomenInTheArts - which is managed by Director of Digital Engagement Mara Kurlandsky and Digital Content Coordinator Adrienne Poon. They use the platform to address the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by featuring important female artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.
NMWA have attracted more than 100,000 followers thanks to their bright, beautiful and informative posts. They showcase dazzling creations from female artists, and offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of exhibitions and programs from their own collection as well as other collaborating organizations. Among their more popular posts are some of the eye-opening statistics they share about gender inequality in the arts.
Their Betty Boyd Library and Research Centre maintains collections of Children’s books, fine Press Books and books on Performance Art, among others, all by or about women. Their exhibitions illustrate the accomplishments and history of women in the arts through displays of primary source materials from the library’s collection, including artist correspondence, ephemera, photographs and rare books. All of which are also featured through their Instagram posts.
NMWA Director, Susan Fisher Sterling said, "I'm delighted that the Webbys chose to recognize the excellence of our Instagram account. Now, more than ever, social media is a vital tool for us to connect with the public by sharing important stories of women artists and building a community of support and curiosity.”