Most Interesting Gift Items from the National Museum of Women in the Arts
As a long-time lover of design and the decorative arts (as well as being your resident design professional!), this holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a quick go-to guide for the fellow design enthusiasts in your life!
In this series, I’ll present a curated mix of unique items to satisfy everyone on your nice list - and in a slight deviation from my typical holiday gift series-
this installation is all about my favorite finds from the NMWA museum!
The National Museum of Women in the Arts, aka NMWA, has recently reopened after a long hiatus and their curation didn’t disappoint! The exhibits feature work by (you guessed it!) women in the arts and span disciplines and various genres from photography to painting and sculpture. As a big museum buff, I was also pleasantly surprised at the variety of items in their museum gift shop and thought I’d create a highlight reel of sorts showcasing my favorite finds! (this also helps to focus my energy so that when I visit again I won’t be tempted to refinance my theoretical house to get everything that catches my eye 😅)
So, whether you’re looking for somewhere great to visit this weekend or if you plan to save this post as you prepare to gift something to yourself- I’m right there with you!
Hoping this list is helpful and makes this season a bit more merry and bright
xo Cherish-Joie xo
To learn more about NMWA or to purchase exhibition tickets, click here.
For the Love of Art
Medium Techuan Bag
by Carla Fernandez
Sold by NMWA for $489.00
Handmade shoulder bag inspired by Tecuan masks. Made from leather, it is designed with visible seams made with cotton thread. The mustache and eyebrows are made from wild boar's hair and the eyes are mirrors. It is lined with resistant cotton fabric. (styles vary)
(Personal Favorite!)
Minnie Lane’s
Gold Scarlett Bracelet
Sold by NMWA for $300.00
The Gold Scarlett Bracelet by Minnie Lane is designed in 14k gold plated over brass, with optional added natural diamond(s). The nude woman on the bangle celebrates the beauty and power of the female form. One size fits most — bracelet can be adjusted by gently opening or closing to fit your wrist.
Recollections Journal
Sold by NMWA for $14.00
his journal will make you the envy of the coffee shop with its faux vintage cover and eye-catching gold lettering. Perfect for writing, drawing or visual thinking of all types. Stylish gold foil stamped cover, 80lb. woodfree paper, dotted interior, 120 pages, lay-flat binding, 5” x 7”.
A Room of Her Own: Inside the Homes and Lives of Creative Women (Hardcover)
Sold by NMWA for $45.00
Meet the creative women who are living life on their own terms, and the unique living spaces they have designed and inhabit in this lavishly produced volume. Creative practitioners, philosophers, and rebels, the women chronicled in this volume refuse to compartmentalize or neglect any of their talents or interests. Instead, their lives are a canvas for their artistry. We see it in their homes and studios, on their tables, and in their wardrobes. Equal parts biography and interior design study, A Room of Her Own features twenty extraordinary women and takes us on a private tour across the world into their personal and professional domains. Among them are painters, sculptors, writers, chefs, designers, jewelers, curators, makers, and directors. While each woman has navigated a unique path, they are united in their refusal to play by the rules of others.
cai & jo
70s Floral Woven Blanket
Sold by NMWA for $105.00
Designed to be beautiful as well as practical, cai & jo blankets are the perfect throw to snuggle on the couch with, drape over the bed or even use as a beach blanket big enough to sunbathe on. Includes fringing detail on all 4 sides • Woven in a cotton/polyester blend for extra durability.
Frida Kahlo x Broken Column Socks
Sold by Amazon for $45.99 (reg. $50.00)
The Broken Column is unlike any of Frida Khalo's self-portraits. Here you find none of her beloved exotic animals or lush vegetation intertwined with her hair. Instead, this portrait is a personification of pain and sadness. Yet, despite the tears, nails and metal restraints depicted, much like in her own life, Frida could seemingly always find a brighter side. And, like a secret message of hope for us all, she painted tiny white doves in the pupils of her eyes, a reminder to sharp-eyed observers that whatever life throws at you, having a sense of humor never hurts. 80% Combed Cotton, 17% Polyamide, 3% Elastane. Made in Portugal.
Homme Girls - Volume 6
Sold by Amazon for $50.00 (reg. $100.00)
In the south of France, the sun is always hot—and the HommeGirls are always cool. In film as in life, the actress Lily-Rose Depp revels in the weirder side of things; editors review the enduring appeal of actress, director, style renegade and yes, mom, Chloë Sevigny; Eleven up-and-coming creatives on a Hollywood high ft singer-songwriter Charlotte Lawrence, model Valentine Alvarez and actor-writer Greta Lee and their favorite Chanel must-haves.
Maria Sibylla Merian, Plate 69
(Magnet)
Sold by NMWA for $6.50
At a time when insects were believed to spring forth magically from mud, waste and plant matter in a process known as 'spontaneous generation', Merian was one of the first to closely observe and record the process of insect metamorphosis.
Her meticulous depictions of metamorphosis, as well as of the tropical flora and fauna of Suriname, caught the attention of the Royal Academy more than 250 years before the first woman was permitted to join. Her most significant book, the lavishly illustrated Insects of Surinam was published in 1705. The plates in NMWA’s collection come from a second, posthumously published edition, Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam.
(Personal Favorite!)
Toni Morrison
Secular Saint Candle
Sold by NMWA for $18.95
Show your devotion to writer and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison - patron saint of The Lost, Cartographers, and The Small Bench by the Road. Secular Saints candles are dedicated to cultural icons you can believe in. The front of each candle features the saint's image. The back of the candle shows their patronage, saint's day, and a unique prayer to inspire and enlighten. Give this colorful Secular Saint votive candle to someone you admire. It makes a lovely encouragement gift for a dedicated do-gooder or struggling artist. 8" tall, 2" diameter.
(Personal Favorite!)
White Cara Mug (14 oz)
Sold by NMWA for $45.00
The Cara mug is a beautiful addition to your morning routine. Mix and match the abstract mug patterns to create a personalized set, perfect for adding a touch of artisanal charm to your kitchen. Cara is the face of Franca. She’s artistic, she’s iconic, she’s painterly. The free-flowing curves of our signature pattern represent continuity and gracefulness.
White porcelain w/ clear gloss interior, 14 oz (12 oz drinkable)
*When you buy something through one of the amazon links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission.