Chrysler Museum of Art to Receive $20,000 Award From the National Endowment for the Arts

Portrait of Susan Watkins, Unknown, ca. 1900, Albumen print, Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell, 46.76.178

NORFOLK, Va., January 21, 2024 – The Chrysler Museum of Art is pleased to announce that it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000. This grant will support the exhibition Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era, which will be on view from October 17, 2025–January 11, 2026, at One Memorial Pl, Norfolk.

The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including the Chrysler Museum’s exhibition Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era.”

The exhibition explores the contributions of women artists during the turn of the twentieth century, centering on the career of Susan Watkins (1875–1913), an artist who achieved great success—regularly exhibiting at the Paris Salon—for her paintings of people and interiors. Featuring 75 works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Watkins and her contemporaries, including Lilla Cabot Perry, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Elizabeth Nourse, Anna Elizabeth Klumpke, and Mary Fairchild MacMonnies, the exhibition examines how these artists overcame barriers and achieved success within the professional art world.

“Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era offers an overdue examination of a pivotal moment in American art history,” said Corey Piper, the Chrysler Museum’s Brock Curator of American Art. “By illuminating the careers of Watkins and her contemporaries, this exhibition challenges long-standing narratives to present a richer, more inclusive account of artistic achievement during the Progressive Era.”

“Thank you to the NEA for supporting this important exhibition,” said Erik Neil, the Chrysler Museum’s Macon and Joan Brock Director. “Through this project, we hope to introduce visitors to the extraordinary achievements of Watkins and her peers. Their stories deserve recognition, and this grant will help foster a deeper appreciation for their work within our community and beyond.”

In addition to the Chrysler Museum, Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era will be on view at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, TN from July 13–September 28, 2025.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art brings art and people together through experiences that delight, inform, and inspire. Internationally recognized for its collection of more than 35,000 objects, including one the largest glass collections in America, the Museum also includes free admission, the state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio, a full-service restaurant, shop, theater, works on paper space, and oversees the historic Myers House. The Museum boasts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs, and has been nationally recognized for its commitment to inclusion through its innovative gallery host program. For more information, visit chrysler.org. Follow on social media @ChryslerMuseum to receive the latest updates.

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