I've been a fan of WMG for 20 years. My home is filled with art I bought at their shows and auctions. I feel incredibly blessed in getting to know many of the artists who have been served by the mission and to have worked closely with Beate over the years. I always get a huge boost when I step through the door, knowing what a difference WMG has made to so many artists and art lovers over the years. Three cheers for Woman Made! Three more for Beate!!!
I owe my art career to Woman Made Gallery. I took a workshop about resume writing at WMG way back when they were located in the Prairie District. I found Beate and everyone there to be so nurturing and supportive that it gave me the confidence I needed to start entering shows. Many years later, I'm still devoted to the gallery and its mission. May it go on forever!
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Woman Made Gallery in Chicago supports, cultivates, and promotes the artistic endeavors of women. The gallery provides a voice and a showcase for those who have traditionally been underrepresented in the gallery scene. I first took a workshop at Woman Made many years ago and immediately thereafter became a member. The art I make today wouldn't be possible without the support of Beate and everyone else at Woman Made. You know how they say you "never forget your first time"? Well, I had my first solo show at Woman Made, and it made all the difference!
Woman Made changed my life! It was a pivotal moment in my life when I found Beate and the gallery and I was so affected by the positive energy and respect she and the gallery shows for women artists. My involvement with the gallery generated professional accolades for me and I, in turn, was inspired to give back. The little storefront on the Northside that turned into a big storefront in the West Loop in Chicago is a vortex for women who need a boost of power. Really, the power is contagious and makes you be a better artist and challenges and refines your thinking. And it's full of great art and lots of fun.
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Woman Made continues to work tirelessly to secure women's place in art, society and history through the vision and efforts of its executive director, Beate Minkovski. Though the organization has grown enormously over the last 18 years, it retains its original inviting, non-elitist and personal atmosphere. This is Beate's touch and I hope it will alwasy keep this flavor. The art selections are, for the most part, excellent and challenging and the gallery stays true to its mission to bring women artists to the public forefront and to actively educate the public about art. The website is excellent and I often "visit" the exhibitions on line before going to the gallery.
Woman Made has been an important advocate and incubator for women artists around the country and indeed the world. It provides a supportive environment in fostering professionalism and creativity. It was one of the first venues to show my work and I remember the excitement and pride I felt on seeing my work in exhibits there. I have subsequently seen the same excitement and pride on the faces of other women artists showing, often for the first time, at the gallery. I remember in particular one young woman who drove from New York and slept in her car to be there.
I've been part of the Woman Made Gallery community for the last decade. It is a well run, passionate, serious organization that supports women in the arts. The gallery space is beautiful and airy; the exhibitions they mount are handsome and current. The board under the leadership of Tammi Franke is really a fabulous entity. Visit this gallery!
Linda HIllman, Past board member
Woman Made Gallery has served women artists all over the world for over 30 years. The gallery has a very strong and important mission statement to further women in the visual arts and it does just that. Because of it's non-profit status and the generous donations and funding it receives it doesn't need to concern itself solely with sales to keep the doors open and can accept works with controversial and politically charges messages and exhibit them. So wonderful when artists are not censored just because their message isn't saleable. The staff and volunteers are gracious and warm to everyone who enters the gallery.
For over 20 years, WomanMade Gallery has been an advocate for women artists, especially for women just entering the art world. WMG nurtures and supports their dreams and ambitions, through exhibitions, mentoring, advice and connections. Truly one of a kind, and much needed still.
Woman Made Gallery exhibits strong work, including work that deals with difficult topics.
The staff and volunteers are friendly, and one feels at home there.
I am an artist who has exhibited at Woman Made and a volunteer . I donate and have included Woman Made in my will.
MARY KING
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This is the first gallery to get my attention as an artist. I'm in London, not Chicago, not America. I appreciate everything Woman Made Gallery stands for: The diversity; the audacity; the openness to new ideas. The unapologetic womanliness of this most marvelous place deserves our support. Viva WMG!
