Politics

International Museum of Women

The Barbara Lee Family Foundation provided a grant to the International Museum of Women (I.M.O.W.) in 2008 to support their online exhibition: Women, Power and Politics. The exhibition showcased well-known and untold historical and contemporary stories of women’s political participation in provocative ways while drawing upon timely happenings such as the 2008 US presidential elections. The exhibit featured a different theme each month and culminated with a “power toolkit” that paired previous exhibition stories with “how-to” instructions for some aspect of political participation, such as drafting an opinion-editorial piece, designing a provocative political poster, fundraising for a campaign, using media effectively to disseminate a campaign message, or organizing a debate. Women, Power and Politics will be archived online in perpetuity as an informational and educational tool, so that visitors to the website can continue to view the exhibition, access its tools, post comments, and generate and participate in conversations. The reach of this project expands far beyond 2008 as visitors continue to access the site which stimulates dialogue, engages women in the American democratic process, and inspires people to take action toward supporting and increasing women’s political participation in a multitude of areas.