March is Women’s History Month, and one way that we often celebrate it is by spotlighting the important, impactful, and strong women of the past. But what about the women of today? The women who are impacting our lives here and now. One place to learn about current women who are changing the world is at the Smithsonian’s “Women’s Futures Month” exhibit. The exhibit consists of 120 life statues of women in STEM and many other fields of work. The statues are 3D printed, and the exhibit is the largest assembly of women’s statues in the United States.
The point of the exhibit is to showcase the achievements of these women and the impact that they have had on our society. Each statue is a life size replica and has a plaque with a QR-code that you can scan to learn more about the woman and her career. Some of the women at the exhibit include NASA astrophysicist, Kelly Korreck; Jessica Esquiivel, who is one of the few Black women who hold a doctorate in physics in the United States; and Monica Rho, who is the physician for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.
For the first week in March the statues will be placed in the Smithsonian’s oldest museum, The Arts and Industries Building. After that the statues will be moved to different locations around the nation’s capital, including the national mall and the Washington Monument.
Many of the women who the statues are based off were at the exhibit when I visited in early March. They were answering questions and giving advice to women and girls who aspired to do work like them or simply admired their accomplishments.
This exhibit is not only important to showcase the accomplishments of professional women, but to also show young girls that their dreams are not limited by their gender, and that they can achieve great things. This exhibit shows that positive representation matters for women, and especially for women of color. This exhibit shows that in a world full of statues of men, that there are just as many women who are worthy of being immortalized in bronze.