Meet Robin Knowlton of American Women Artists

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Knowlton.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Robin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the Executive Director of American Women Artists. AWA is a national non-profit organization with over 800 women artist members from across the U.S. and Canada, with a large concentration of artists in Arizona. We are dedicated to the inspiration, celebration, and encouragement of women in the visual fine arts. One way we accomplish this is through our 25 in 25 initiative; to have 25 museum shows for our members over the next 25 years. Begun in 2017, our 25 in 25 campaign is a response to the fact that only 3-5% of the art in the permanent collections of museums in the U.S. is work by women artists. We aim to change that!

I owned and ran a fine art gallery in Northern California for ten years and was on the Board of American Women Artists. When I closed the gallery in 2015, it coincided with the Executive Director leaving the organization and I was asked to step in.

AWA has numerous connections to Arizona. The Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale hosted AWA’s national show in 2015. They purchased a bronze from that show and donated it to the Museum of the West for their permanent collection. Personally, I own a condo in Scottsdale with one of my sisters and come to Arizona nearly every six weeks to visit my 93-year old father who lives at McDowell Village in Scottsdale. I have an office in my condo so I can continue to work when I’m in AZ.

A few weeks ago, the Bonner David Galleries hosted a gathering, “Celebrating American Women Artists: 25 in 25,” with collectors, artists, and friends, to toast the accomplishments of AWA’s 25 in 25 campaign. Since we initiated the campaign, AWA has had three museum shows, the first held at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, followed by shows in NY and CA. In that short period of time, four works by women artists were purchased for museum collections and four works by women artists were purchased for a corporate collection. This is a fantastic start to our 25-year initiative!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the biggest changes we’ve undergone has been to shift from having an annual national gallery show for our members to an annual museum show. Gallery shows usually mean sales for the artists whereas museum shows emphasis getting women into museum venues and, possibly, have the museum purchase a work for its permanent collection.

Like all non-profits, raising funds is a constant challenge. We have started a Patron Membership level for non-artists and male supporters to become a part of AWA.

Of course, the biggest challenge is for women to gain parity in the art world. Not a single work by a woman artist is among the top selling 100 works of art. Women earn 1/3 of what men do in the art world though they make up 65-70% of MFA students. 51% of the working artists in this country are women but women’s stories are missing from our cultural life. This sends a clear message: “Women don’t matter.” AWA is working hard to change this!

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Our focus on having museum shows over the next 25 years for our women artist members makes us unique among all art organizations in the U.S. We also host an annual Symposium on Women in the Arts, in conjunction with our museum shows, with an interesting and diverse program of speakers that have included a woman cowboy bookmaker, a woman who makes her living as an artist through Instagram, and academic speakers talking about new scholarship on women artists. We also have a large presence on social media, promoting our members’ accomplishments. Next year we are adding an annual gallery show for our upper-level artists. We currently have museum shows booked through 2024, next year’s show will be held at the Steamboat Art Museum in Colorado.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have an incredible Board of Directors made up of artists and women who have business and non-profit expertise. One of our Board Members, Dyana Hesson, is a well-known artist from Mesa. She’s full of great ideas and has extensive marketing experience, which we have come to rely upon. We “meet” through conference calling which allows us to have a Board made up of women across the U.S.

Pricing:

• Women artists can join AWA for just $60!
• Patrons can join us at any level, starting at $60!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.americanwomenartists.org
• Phone: 209-368-5123
• Email: rknowlton@americanwomenartists.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amwomenartists/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanWomenArtists/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amwomenartists
• Other: https://americanwomenartists.org/

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