Growing Database of “Women Who Draw” Spotlights 5,000+ Female Illustrators

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Mar 16, 2017 at 4:39am PDT

For centuries, female artists have been underrepresented and overlooked. Fortunately, however, an increasing number of contemporary institutions are making efforts to call attention to creative women—especially through online platforms. In the past few years, female-centric databases have popped up on the web, spotlighting present-day photographers, past painters, and, now, “Women Who Draw.”

Women Who Draw is an open directory featuring 5,000 professional illustrators, artists, and cartoonists. As its title suggests, all of the artists included in this ongoing project identify as women—especially those who art history has largely ignored. To remedy this age-old problem, the database prioritizes work by artists from minority groups, including women of color and those who belong to the LBTQ+ community.

In addition to showcasing work by the artists, the directory also features “tools to help users curate their own stables of artists, interviews with industry pros, monthly member collaborations, and a resources page for artists and the people who hire them.” In order to track down artists of specific backgrounds, the site's sidebar allows users to choose the race and ethnicity, location, orientation, and even religion of the “Women Who Draw.” Together, all of these resources ensure that each artist is equally visible—a goal at the heart of the project.

“More than just a website,” Julia Rothman and Wendy MacNaughton, the database's founders, explain, “Women Who Draw has become a community of support and professional and political action.”

To browse through the directory or even submit your own work, stop by the Women Who Draw website.

Women Who Draw, an empowering online database featuring 5,000 female illustrators, showcases work by artists who identify as women.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Jan 25, 2018 at 2:40am PST

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Nov 27, 2017 at 7:45am PST

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Mar 21, 2018 at 8:55am PDT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Jan 15, 2017 at 5:24am PST

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Jul 25, 2017 at 4:47am PDT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Nov 13, 2018 at 3:41am PST

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on May 14, 2019 at 1:12pm PDT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Women Who Draw (@thewomenwhodraw) on Jun 12, 2018 at 6:27am PDT

Women Who Draw: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
h/t: [Open Culture]

Related Articles:

Empowering Art Book Highlights Female Artists Overlooked by Museums

This Woman Has Been Anonymously Funding Female Artists for 22 Years

13 Trailblazing Female Artists to Celebrate on Women’s Equality Day