[1][2][3] As Liana Moonie (president of the NAWA, 1987–1989) remarks in the foreword to the centennial exhibition catalog, the Club was notable for having provided a platform for professional artists, whereas, at the time, female representation in the arts was frequently restricted to the decorative.

"[6] As now, early exhibitions were not restricted to members, nor to New York artists exclusively, and included works by Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Louise Catherine Breslau, Laura Coombs Hills, Rhoda Holmes Nicholls, and Cecilia Beaux.

[3] Also in 1913, the influential 1913 Armory Show featured works by members Josephine Paddock, Mary Wilson Preston, Anne Goldthwaite and Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, among others.

The deal, however, was profitable, allowing the association to re-invest the money in equipment and a lease at Argent Galleries at 42 West 57th Street, which remained open during the Great Depression.

"[10] Recognizing the ameliorated but ongoing disparity between male and female artists, the association broadened its scope, focusing on extending its support system beyond New York by organizing traveling exhibitions.

[11] The exhibition featured such artists as Mary Callery, Janet Scudder, Margaret Brassler Kane, Berta Margolies, Minna Harkavy, Bessie Potter Vonnoh, Augusta Savage, Louise Nevelson, Dorothy Dehner, Faith Ringgold, and others.

Institutions devoted to the advancement of women in the arts became more decentralized, in keeping with the rise of alternative spaces (typically run by artists and not associated with museums or galleries), especially during the 1970s.

[16] Simultaneously, throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, the notion of achieved equality between men and women in the arts (based on representation in private and museum collections, at gallery shows) was continually challenged.

"[19] Chadwick emphasizes the continuing need for "prestigious retrospective exhibitions at major museums or the full-length monographic studies that secure visibility and reputations in [the] art world" and support for contemporary women artists.

While encouraging contemporary and emerging artists, the Association honors and continues the long and important contribution of women to the history of American culture and art".

[22] The exhibition "A Parallel Presence: National Association of Women Artists, 1889–2009," which ran at the Zimmerli Art Museum from January 17 to April 26, 2009 and at UBS Art Gallery in Midtown, New York from May 14 to July 31, 2009, presented works by approximately 80 artists, including Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Theresa Bernstein, Louise Nevelson, Pat Adams, Faith Ringgold, as well as archival materials related to the history of the organization.