The Women's Museum of California (WMC) is a nonprofit museum located in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
and dedicated to
women's history
Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history and the methods required to do so. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded history, personal achievement over a period of ...
. It was first organized under the names the Women's History Reclamation Project and then the Women's History Museum and Educational Center. It was founded in 1983. In addition to exhibits and programs offered, the WMofC also co-founded and hosts the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame. The museum is located at
Liberty Station
Liberty Station is a mixed-use development in San Diego, California, on the site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego. It is located in the Point Loma community of San Diego. It has a waterfront location, on a boat channel off of San Diego ...
and has exhibit space, archives, a library and a store that features items made exclusively by women.
Other museum offerings include speakers and monthly lecture series.
History
The museum had its roots with the
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
activist, Mary B. Maschal who collected items from women's history in her home.
The home had formally belonged to a
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
, Veronica Burke.
Maschal had been collecting artifacts relating to women's history since the 1970s.
She finally opened her collection to the public in 1983, naming it the Women's History Reclamation Project (WHRP).
Maschal felt a passion for collecting artifacts because of her "own disappointment over the lack of knowledge about women's history among the younger generation."
Maschal also received a grant in 1984 in order to conduct and collect
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...
interviews.
The initial success of Mary Maschal was sparked by the
Women's History
Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history and the methods required to do so. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded history, personal achievement over a period of ...
Reclamation Project. In addition to taking part in
UN conferences, Maschal joined the
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
as a public member while also honing the skills necessary to work well with others in business. To preserve the legacy of past-generational leaders, she started a museum educating others on
second-wave feminism
Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains.
Wh ...
. The Women's Museum of California continues to preserve her legacy towards the newer generation.
Maschal moved her collection to the Art Union Building in
Golden Hill in 1997.
Maschal died in 1998, and Cindy Stankowski and Sue Gonda took over leadership of the museum.
In 2000, the museum sponsored a Women's History Poetry contest, which was held at the same time as an exhibit titled In Our Own Voice: women's History through Women's Poetry. The museum co-created the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, the Project changed its name to the Women's History Museum and Educational Center (WHMEC).
The Women's History Museum and Educational Center changed its name again in 2011, this time to the Women's Museum of California (WMofC). They concurrently updated the museum
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...
.
WMC also moved to the
Liberty Station
Liberty Station is a mixed-use development in San Diego, California, on the site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego. It is located in the Point Loma community of San Diego. It has a waterfront location, on a boat channel off of San Diego ...
Promenade in
Point Loma
Point Loma (Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the w ...
in 2012.
The new location was three times larger than their former location at Golden Hill.
Helen Hawkins Memorial Library and Research Archive
Part of the museum is a
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
and
archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
. The Helen Hawkins Memorial Library and Research Archive includes books and several special collections. Part of the special collections is the Alice Park Archive which collects artifacts from the
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
movement from the late 19th century and early 20th century. The special collections also include papers documenting the career of
Lucy Killea
Lucy Killea (born Lucy Gold Lytle; July 31, 1922 – January 18, 2017) was an American politician who served in the California State Legislature, from 1982 to 1996.
Biography
Lytle was born in San Antonio, Texas, and received a bachelor's degree ...
, a collection of materials relating to the UN Conference on the Status of Women and the Neff-LeClair Collection of period women's clothing dating from the 18th century on.
Film Festival
The Women's Museum of California offers a Film Festival that showcases women who have worked in the film industry to show their film creations and share their experiences with others. The film festival includes a panel that consists of activists and filmmakers that discuss the representation and roles of women in the film industry environment.
After eight years, the Women's Film Festival ended in 2021 due to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
As of 2022, the COVID‑19 pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV‑2). Its impact has been broad, affecting general society, the ...
. The following year, the Women's Museum began sponsoring a "Women's Series" under the umbrella of the
San Diego International Film Festival
The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...
.
San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame was created in 2001, partly through the WMofC and other organizations.
Some organizations that have partnered with WMofC for the hall of fame include the
Girl Scouts,
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Mexican American Women's National Association, known today as MANA, A National Latina Organization, advocates for equality and empowers Latinas through leadership development. MANA was founded in 1974, making it one of the oldest active Mexican- ...
and Executive Women International. Co-Hosts of the HOF include the Museum, the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, San Diego State University's Women's Studies Department, and the Women's Center of the University of California, San Diego. Inductions into the hall of fame take place in March during
Women's History Month
Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with ...
.
Each year about five women are inducted.
The San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame mission is "to acknowledge and honor women who have significantly contributed to the quality of life and who have made outstanding volunteer contributions in San Diego County."
List of inductees
References
Additional sources
*
External links
Official siteMary Maschal(video)
{{Authority control
1983 establishments in California
Museums in San Diego
Museums established in 1983
Women's museums in California
History of women in California