Becoming Visible

objects against a blue background
Becoming Visible
Bringing American Women’s History into Focus

Women's stories have been in a constant state of becoming visible, never quite coming into focus in American history. Even though historians have long documented the lives and work of women, their contributions have vanished from most popular narratives of U.S. history. Explore how five women’s stories have been recorded and remembered, and join our effort to expand the story of America.

Enter Digital Exhibition

objects against a blue background
Inside Look: "Becoming Visible" Digital Exhibition

Join us for an inside look into our first digital exhibition with Smithsonian curators, featuring an introduction by Lynda Carter

Watch Here

Take Action

4 women standing together for a photo
Volunteer With Us
Photograph of a woman standing behind camera with man next to her
Co-Create with Us
Black and white photograph of woman
Contribute to Wikipedia

Learn More

Black and white printed portrait drawing of Elizabeth Keckly on aged paper. Book cover is visible.
Elizabeth Keckly
Group of people stand in front of a wall
Isabel Morgan
Black and white photograph of a Japanese American woman with a young girl holding a doll in front of a pile of luggage, with another Japanese American family in the background.
Hisako Hibi
Photo of the patent model of the paper bag machine, which has four legs and is made of wood with metal gears.
Margaret Knight
Color photograph of the upper torso and neck of Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit. A NASA patch is on the left and an Apollo 11 patch with an eagle on the moon is on the right.
Hazel Fellows
Drawing of an invention
Bibliography

Resources and Programming

Black and white photograph of African American woman sitting at a long-arm sewing machine working on the iconic white outer layer of an Apollo spacesuit.
Book Club Questions
People standing in a circle with books in their hands
Becoming Visible Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon
stars against a blue background
Community Story Explorer
A painting of clouds moving across a blue-gray sky and the roofs of two buildings with chimneys.
Learning Resources
Text reading "Womens History Is American History." overlayed on black background
Follow Us on Social Media
objects against a blue background
Inside Look: "Becoming Visible" Digital Exhibition

Exhibition Acknowledgements

Exhibition Team

Exhibition Team

Melanie Adams, Interim Director 

Nicole Kang Ferraiolo, Head of Digital Strategies 

Rachel Ginsberg, Interactive Strategist 

Elizabeth Harmon, Curator and Virtual Museum Program Manager 

Rachel Seidman, Curatorial Advisor 

Diana Turnbow, Research Assistant

Digital Design Studio

Forum One

Project Collaborators

Dorothy Berry, Digital Curator, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture 

Ashleigh Coren, Educator, Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 

Rosario Dawson, Advisory Council Member, Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

Saisha Grayson, Curator of Film and Time-Based Media Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum 

Melissa Ho, Curator of Twentieth-Century Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum 

Ryan King, Program Manager, Smithsonian Office of Digital Transformation  

Atom Kruckenberg, Interactive Sound Designer   

Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette, Research Associate, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 

Bonnie Campbell Lilienfeld, Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Museum of American History 

Emily Margolis, Curator of Contemporary Spaceflight, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 

Tey Marianna Nunn, Associate Director for Content & Interpretation, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino 

Katherine Ott, Curator, Division of Medicine and Science, Smithsonian National Museum of American History 

Chanelle Pickens, Education Consultant 

Angela Tate, Curator of Women’s History, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture 

Smithsonian Digital and Accessibility

Michelle Cook, Inclusive Design Specialist, Access Smithsonian 

Lisa Elbert, IT Specialist, Smithsonian Office of the Chief Information Officer 

Ashley Grady, Program Specialist, Access Smithsonian 

Katie Kelel, Accessibility User Tester 

Edward Monk, IT Specialist, Smithsonian Office of Chief Information Officer 

Anaís Perez, Digital Content Editor

Ha Pham, Senior Website Developer, Smithsonian Office of the Chief Information Officer  

Daniel Sabio, Creative Technologist 

Dana Small, Manager for Web and Digital Media, Office of Public Affairs

Sara Snyder, Director of Digital Programs, Office of Digital Transformations

Marina Tsallagova, Accessibility Tester, Smithsonian Office of Chief Information Officer

Special thanks to the entire staff of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and to the many other people across the Smithsonian whose work made this project possible.