Exhibit to mark a century of female activism in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is set to open an exhibit that honours celebrates a century of female activism in the state.

“Agents of Change: Female Activism in Virginia from Women’s Suffrage to Today” is scheduled to open Sunday.

The exhibit will feature artifacts from the museum’s collections, new acquisitions made through a major collecting initiative and rarely seen loans from private individuals. It is intended to honour change-makers who have brought about positive change in their communities, Virginia and the nation.

In a news release, Museum Collections Curator Karen Sherry said the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 marked the culmination of a concerted fight for women’s suffrage and heralded a new age of female participation in American civic life. She said the stories in the exhibit underscore the importance of civic engagement.

Along with the exhibition, a newly created photograph will also be on display. It is a re-creation of an iconic photo of suffragists from 1915 featuring modern day female activists from Virginia. The photo will be displayed at the museum throughout the year and reproduced in a limited-edition print series.

The exhibition will run through Sept. 27.