Throughout Women’s History Month, people can engage with the reACT exhibition #WomenKnowStuffToo, which takes an in-depth look at the technical side of art-making and how female artists innovate in various media.

Guest co-curators Ruxandra Looft, director of the Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity, Emily Morgan, assistant professor of art and visual culture, and Jennifer Drinkwater, assistant professor of art and visual culture and community art specialist, will deliver remarks at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Reiman Gallery of Morrill Hall for the opening reception of the exhibition. Light refreshments will be served.

The #WomenKnowStuffToo exhibition will be open from 12-4 p.m. every Monday through Friday from March 2 through April 3 in the Reiman Gallery.

The purpose of this program is to engage community members in an ongoing conversation celebrating women artists and makers as well as their impact on the arts and expertise in the field.

“Did you know that of the top 20 most popular exhibitions around the world in 2018, only one was headlined by a woman artist: Joana Vasconcelos: I’m Your Mirror at the Guggenheim Bilbao,” according to the Women’s Center website. “And only 13.7 percent of living artists represented by galleries in Europe and North America are women-identified.”

The Women’s Center website brought up the Guerrilla Girls, a group of women artists and arts professionals who want to challenge the lack of representation of women in the arts. 

“[They] ask us to change the question of ‘Why haven’t there been more great women artists throughout history?’ to ‘Why haven’t more women been considered great artists throughout history?’” according to the Women’s Center website.

Through an art exhibition, gallery talks by artists, film screenings and two events focused on varied histories of women’s quilting, #WomenKnowStuffToo will engage community members in an ongoing conversation celebrating women-identified artists and makers, women’s impact on the arts, and women’s expertise in a wide variety of fields and media.

“In doing so, we hope to continue to challenge the notion of what women in the arts know, contribute and create,” according to the Women’s Center website.

#WomenKnowStuffToo is a partnership with University Museums, the Women’s Center and the College of Design with additional support from the University Library, the Ames Public Library, Reliable Street and the Des Moines Art Center.