About

Our Mission

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington D.C. is the world’s first museum solely dedicated to celebrating the creative accomplishments of women. With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, NMWA champions women through the arts and advocates for equity. As the exclusive affiliate of the Women’s Museum in Ohio, the

Ohio Advisory Group (OAG) of NMWA extends the mission by showcasing women’s contributions to Ohio’s rich cultural landscape. The founding members of the OAG are distinguished women leaders in the region who share a passion for the arts and/or advocacy for women.

Women to Watch

Adopted by the OAG as its signature project, the Women to Watch initiative shines a spotlight on gender disparities through exhibitions and programming featuring Ohio women artists both locally and in Washington, DC. NMWA reports that 51% of visual artists working today are women, yet only 5% of work on display in US museums is by women, and works by women make up only 5% of major permanent collections in the US and Europe.

* Member, National Advisory Board of NMWA

Co-Chairs

Donna Collins

Anu Mitra *

Secretary

Leslie Adams

Treasurer

Kate Bonansinga

Founder and Co-Chairs Emerita

Barbara Richter *

Harriet Warm *

All Members

Leslie Adams
Toledo
An internationally recognized artist who specializes in figurative art and portraiture

Kate Bonansinga
Cincinnati
Director of the School of Art at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning

Kimberly Chapman
Moreland Hills
Porcelain sculptor focusing on what women endure, after retiring as a marketing executive for corporations and colleges. Past chair of the Cleveland Institute of Art Advisory Council. Past Cleveland Museum of Art docent and Women’s Council member

Donna Collins
Glenford
Executive Director, Ohio Arts Council; Board Chair of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; Co-chair Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA); National Advisory Board of NMWA; Chair, Artist Selection Committee for the Ohio Women’s Monument at the Ohio Statehouse; Co-Chair, Public Art and Signature Events for America 250-Ohio; Treasurer, Ohio Art Education Foundation; and Editor, Psi Chapter, Sigma Phi Gamma International Sorority

Marilena DiSilvio
Cleveland
Co-Chair; Partner at Elk & Elk Co., Ltd.; Adjunct professor at Cleveland State University College of Law

Sally Gries *
Shaker Heights
Arts supporter and champion for women in the arts; Former Chair, The Cleveland Foundation

Aleks Harkavy
Dayton
Classically trained musician and experienced music educator with a deep commitment to the arts and arts advocacy. Dedicated to improving local communities through creativity and cultural enrichment

Tamara Harkavy
Cincinnati
Founder and former CEO and Artistic Director of ArtWorks, Cincinnati’s largest public art program and employment program, creating a national model for transforming people and places through investments in creativity.  She is a trustee of the OAG, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the Mercantile Library. She is the founder of Pleasant Street Consultants, working with non-profit arts and social enterprise organizations with strategic planning, marketing, programming, and development

Cally Gottlieb King
Wooster
Artist; Director of Communications and Development for the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education; creative/art director/copywriter/marketing, for corporations, organizations, and in higher ed

Nannette V. Maciejunes
Columbus
Executive Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art

Leah Magyary
Athens
Executive Director, Dairy Barn Arts Center

Ellen Stirn Mavec *
Cleveland
President and Chairman of The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation: Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Lisa McLymont
Columbus
Artist; Director of Creative & Brand Marketing Strategy at Equitas Health; City of Columbus Public Art Commissioner

Anu Mitra
Cincinnati
Emeritus Professor in the Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies at Union Institute & University; Trustee and Executive Board Member at the Cincinnati Art Museum; Co-chair of the OAG; member, Support Committee of the Weston Art Gallery; Secretary and board member, Bader + Simon; docent at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati

Christine Ballengee Morris

Rachel Evans Nead

Ena Nearon
Yellow Springs
President of Ten Talents Network and accomplished arts professional with a strong background in event management, curation, and fundraising. Former Senior Event Manager at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Curator/Manager of the YWCA Women’s Art Gallery. Served as Development Director for the Yellow Springs Community Foundation and earned certification as a Foundation Grant Manager from the prestigious Indiana University School of Fundraising. Active member of the Yellow Springs Arts Council

Rebecca Nelson
Columbus
Community advocate after retiring from careers in Public Health and Higher Ed Administration

Judith K. Oppenheimer
Columbus

Amanda Page

Talcon Quinn
The Plains
Artist; Southeastern Ohio native with eight generations of roots, is an artist, educator, and folk medicine maker, blending extensive travel experiences with skills in herbalism, wildcrafting, and doula work to cultivate conscious communities through grassroots education and sustainable practices

Barbara Richter
Alexandria, VA
Executive Director and CEO GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art

Joy Roller
Cleveland Heights
Filmmaker, Fundraiser, Consultant, Former Executive Director Gordon Square Arts District and Global Cleveland, Former Development Director Karamu House

Suzanne Schultz
Marietta
Founder and CEO of Canvas Fine Arts empowering artists and creatives since 2007. Coaching, consulting, mentoring, and professional development provider

Aseelah Shareef
Cleveland
Vice President + Chief Operating Officer at Karamu House, the nation’s oldest Black producing theatre

Cat Sheridan
Columbus
Artist; Director of Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery. An ardent advocate of the arts, arts education and creative community building Sheridan focuses her time and energy on expanding the power of the arts; as an arts administrator during the day and an arts mentor, volunteer, and practicing artist, at night

Kathryn Turley-Sonne
Cincinnati
Professor of Museum Studies & Literature, board member of MoCA Westport, co-chair of MoCA Gives Back, board member and treasurer of Bader + Simon Gallery, co-founder of Club203 (healing arts for neurodiverse community

Sara Vance Waddell *
Cincinnati
President/CEO, SMV Media; President of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation

Victoria Vermes
Cleveland
Retired psychotherapist; Artist on a path

Harriet Warm
Cleveland
Collector, philanthropist, Ohio Advisory Group Co-Founder, Cleveland Museum of Art Board Member

Tamara (Tami) White
Cincinnati
Founder of Bader + Simon Gallery; board member for Words Uncaged (Los Angeles) and Space on Ryder Farm (artist residency, Brewster, NY)