2024 International Women to Watch Exhibit: A New World
April 14 - August 11, 2024 | National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC
Women to Watch is the National Museum of Women in the art’s exhibition program that features underrepresented and emerging women artists from each committee’s respective region.
The Women to Watch exhibition series is a unique collaboration between NMWA and its national and international committees.
Wyoming was represented in Women to Watch exhibition at National Museum of Women in the Arts for the first time in 2024 by artist Sarah Ortegon, representing the Wind River Reservation.
The 2024 exhibition highlights the work of 28 visionary artists who imagine alternate realities. With perspectives that shift across geographies, cultural viewpoints and mediums, the artists inspire viewers to envision different futures. New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024 is on view through August 11, 2024.
Ortegon’s proposal for the New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024 exhibition was is a large-scale painting of 4 jingle dresses representing the seasons, dancing without a physical body. Ortegon's beadwork is integrated directly onto her canvas in places where the regalia would typically have actual beadwork, forming Arapaho and Shoshone design.
Through her work, Ortegon HighWalking channels the widespread Indigenous belief in the
interconnectedness of humans to nature, to each other, and to multiple generations. She crafted this cradleboard for her infant son using traditional techniques: an act of cultural preservation and an expression of hope for the future. Ortegon HighWalking's paintings depict jingle dresses, originally from the Anishinaabe culture, worn and danced in for healing and ceremonial purposes. Although these dresses are not inhabited by bodies,
they capture the sense of movement and hope that is integral to the dance.
WYNMWA sponsored Sarah’s travel to Washington DC for the exhibit opening. Sarah was joined in Washington DC by Wyoming Committee members Kristen Broeder and Pamela Gibson, WYNMWA guest curator Dr. Tammi Hanawalt, and honorary WYNMWA committee member Chuck Fleischman.
Selection Process
For the each of the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ Women to Watch exhibits, each NMWA Committee nominates a list of curators from their region and NMWA chooses one curator to represent their region. The selected curator then works with NMWA to select the 5 Women to Watch to represent the region, leading to the selection of one artist whose work will be included in the NMWA Women to Watch show at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.
For Women to Watch 2024, Wyoming Curator was Dr. Tammi Hanawalt. selected 5 Women to Watch artists to represent our state, and NMWA selected artist Sarah Ortegon from this group to be featured.
“For me to be nominated as one of the 5 Wyoming women artists is just an incredible honor. I’m humbled and stunned and thrilled all at once.”
— Jennifer Rife, Nominated Artist
