About Woman Made Gallery

Woman Made Gallery is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Woman Made Gallery is a space for women and nonbinary artists, including trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer artists. We welcome artists from our local community, regionally based, and around the world. Since our founding in 1992, WMG has shown the artistic work of more than 10,000 women and nonbinary artists in 475 exhibitions.

Currently WMG is hosting eight exhibitions annually in Chicago’s University Village neighborhood location. WMG boasts a membership base of more than 350 artists annually. To date, WMG has provided professional development workshops and connected members to more than 15,000 supporters via networking events and online promotion.

WMG hosts conversations on issues that matter most to women, helping them make sense of the world through a feminist lens. Artist talks, panel discussions, and poetry readings, as well as other public programs, inspire community dialogue and interaction.

Our Mission

Woman Made Gallery (WMG) champions women and non-binary artists by providing them with opportunities to share their voices, to be seen and to grow their careers. 

Our Vision

A world where women and non-binary artists have achieved equal visibility, value, and status across all cultural spaces.  

Our Commitment to Justice and Peace

At Woman Made Gallery, we believe in justice, equality, and human rights for all. As a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices of women and non-binary artists, we recognize that art is a powerful tool for advocacy, dialogue, and healing. We stand against all forms of oppression, discrimination, and violence. Our mission is rooted in fostering a world where all people—regardless of nationality, race, gender, or belief—can live with dignity and freedom. As an organization, we support artists who use their voices to challenge injustice and envision a more just and peaceful future. While our focus is on the arts, we acknowledge that no artistic community exists in isolation. We will continue to stand in solidarity with those who fight for freedom, dignity, and human rights—through art and community.

​Statement on Organizational Neutrality

As a registered Illinois 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Woman Made Gallery is committed to its mission of supporting women and non-binary artists through inclusive and equitable programming. To maintain trust, legal compliance, and alignment with its values, WMG does not endorse or oppose political candidates or parties and refrains from promoting personal ideological or religious beliefs. All exhibitions, partnerships, and communications are guided by the gallery’s mission, with a focus on artistic merit, diversity of perspective, and respectful dialogue. Staff, board members, and affiliates are expected to distinguish personal opinions from organizational positions and to use WMG’s platform solely in service of its mission.

Contact Us

For general questions about Woman Made Gallery, feel free to contact us at general@womanmade.org or at astrid@womanmade.org. ​

Gallery Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12–5 PM CST – note that WMG is closed between exhibitions. 

Location: 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607

Contact: 312-738-0400 or general@womanmade.org

WMG Staff + Interns

---

WMG Volunteers

---

Board of Directors

---

Former Board Members

---

Woman Made Gallery is deeply grateful to every individual who has served on WMG’s Board of Directors since our founding board formed in 1993. Over more than three decades, some members served briefly, others gave many years, and several returned to serve again. Many remain connected to WMG today, and we hold in our hearts those we have lost*.

Roberta Reb Allen, Marty Bash, *June Felicia Bennett, Cali Bergold, Marianne Biagi, Emily Breidenbach, Mo Cahill, Lisa Caldeira, Pamella Capitanini, Pritika Chowdhry, Liz Cochran, *Mary Ruth Coffey, Laurie A. Cohen, Lauren Levato Coyne, Margaret Crary, Julia Cuba, Michele Sexton Dorvil,  Shannon Downey, Jennifer Eicher, Sabrina Fesko, Deb Flagel, Megan Foy, Tammi Franke, *Pamela Frederick, Jyotsana Garg, Olivia Glod, Marcia Grubb, Audrey Godwin Winner, Janet Gomez, Nicole Gotthelf, Kathy Greenholdt, Jesy Grose, Marcia Grubb, Kelly Hensen, Candice Hickman, Linda Hillman, Carol Vihon Hirsch, Helene Hoffman, Gail Holmberg, *Susan House, Susan Ifergan, Linda Jacoby, Margo Jeanchild, Anita Jenke, Marian Jones, Mary Keefe, Diana Kindzred, Nancy Koprowski, Donna Kore, Jennifer LaCivita, Andrea Leets, Bonnie Lopez, Sheila Malloy, Robin Malpass, Kendra Miller, Jennifer Montojo, Paige Morgano, *Cathleen Nagle, Kali Nikitas, Breannah Alexander Oppenhuizen, Yoonshin Park, Mary Penn, *Sandra Perlow, Carmen M. Perez-Stoppert, Aimée Picard, Dawn Raftery, Usha Raj, Ann Regan, Prem Sharma, Asia Denise Shelton, *Rebecca Sive, Cassandra Fay Smith, *Janet Snow-Godfrey,  Monica Staco, Wilma Stevens, Amy Stoeffler, Mary C. Strickland, Ginny Sykes, Elena Aguirre Sznajder, Elena Tabachnick, Ellie Thompson, Cheryl Toles, Shashi Michele Tusken, Anne Vanker, Janneke Waal-Fowers, Erin Waser, Lari Washburn, Kathleen Waterloo, Cassandra West, Laura Wetter, Rhonda Wheatley, and Emily Williams.

*Starred names denote board members we have lost and whose contributions we continue to honor.

Woman Made Gallery Financial Statements

• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2024
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2021
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2019
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2018
• WMG Financial Statement for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2017
• WMG Annual Report for 2017
• WMG Annual Report Summary for Fiscal Years ending June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2017

*Annual Fund reflects contributions received from July 2020 to present day.

---

Individual Donors

Presenting Donors $3,000+

Anonymous Donor  •  John Gillilan  •  Margo Jeanchild  •  Suzannne Massey  •  Pete O’Connell

Art Angel Donors $1,250+

Marty Bash  •  Jocarno Fund  •  Marcia Grubb  •  Pamela Markman  •  Ann Reagan  •  Amy Stoeffler
Susan Pritzker  •  Patricia Callahan  •  Ginny Sykes

Art Patron $500+

Jeff Brown  •  Patricia Davis  •  Robert M. and Terry L. Cohn Family Foundation  •   Kathie Foley-Meyer
Tammi Franke  •  Michelle Geoga  •  Gail Holmberg  •  Bobbi Meier  •  Usha Raj  •  Wilma Stevens

Programming and general operating costs are partially funded by The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; and The Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency.

*Annual Fund reflects contributions received from July 2020 to present day.

Do You Know How Woman Made Gallery Began?

We thank you for your connection to Woman Made Gallery. You might know all about our vision and mission, our programs and services, all in support of women artists, but maybe you don’t know how it all began. Here is a shortened version of that story.

Once upon a time, there were two art students, and the year was 1992. Kelly Hensen and Beate Minkovski needed to complete their senior project in order to graduate from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. They planned an exhibition with art that would spotlight the reality of women’s lives, controlled by patriarchy. Beate was 48 years old and a returning student after raising her five children. Kelly Hensen, years younger, was involved in the LGBT community.

Inspired and encouraged by their professor, Mary Stoppert, the collaborative artmaking for their senior show came along just fine, and it involved fun trips to taxidermists and hobby shops and many hours of work in the wood shop at NEIU. There was an exhibition venue at the university library, but that option fell away because of the theme of the show and related security concerns. So off they went to find a suitable, cheap rental space where Kelly and Beate would make art and host their exhibition, “Man-Made Women.”

They found a space in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, and after creating a gallery environment and finishing their work for the exhibition, Kelly and Beate celebrated an amazing opening reception in May 1992. Their professors, friends, and family members were there in support, plus lots of strangers waiting in line around the block to see what was contained in something called Woman Made Gallery.

Kelly envisioned an art studio that would transform into a nightly coffee shop; Beate wanted it to focus just on women artists but selling bagels in the morning to the adjacent train riders at the Rockwell EL in order to help pay the rent, forbade wood dust in the space.

The first few juried shows were titled, ‘Women Do Women’ and ‘Define Family.’ WMG didn’t ask for entry fees, but accepted those who responded to the call for art. Other juried exhibitions followed, and the dream of having a shared studio where the two friends would continue to create their artistic vision never happened. Instead something else very wonderful came out of that venture. 

The story is much longer than this, but in essence, the wonderful outcome of Kelly’s and Beate’s joint art venture is that, as of 2026, more than 10,000 women artists have exhibited their work in 475+ group and solo exhibitions since WMG was established. Other art-related programs complemented the juried group shows: poetry readings, artist talks, and professional-development workshops.

Numerous individuals have contributed over the years to help form WMG into what it is today: staff, board members, advisers, and so many volunteers. There are a thousand stories to tell and experiences to share. You can check out WMG on the GreatNonprofits website to see what others are saying.

Thanks for reading about WMG’s beginnings. Visit WMG’s website to view past and current exhibitions, and see what Calls for Art are listed here. Follow WMG on Facebook and Instagram so you’re kept in the loop.

Please support Woman Made Gallery. Thank you!

---

A Few Highlights from the Archives

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---