Historical Women Who Have Inspired Us: An NEA Crowdsourced Post

Each year in March, Women’s History Month is celebrated around the nation—including the women trailblazers who have torn down glass ceilings to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all. Their contributions to arts and culture are critical to illuminating the path for many arts professionals, artists, and arts organizations.

For this crowdsourced post, we asked NEA staff to share historical women who inspire the work they do as artists and people with careers in the arts. Take a virtual walk with us and read the responses below. May we continue to pass the baton of resiliency, creativity, and equality for generations to come.

“I have always been inspired by Florence Griffith Joyner (known as ‘Flo Jo’), five-time track and field Olympic medalist. In addition to her world record-setting skills on the track, she was a unique fashion designer and artist, with her paintings being on display as part of the Art of The Olympians organization. Flo Jo’s legacy set the foundation for me to achieve excellence in running and acting with confidence and personal style. Paving my own artful path, I am a nine-time individual Maryland high school track state champion, and had the privilege of running track on a full athletic scholarship for Virginia Tech—becoming the 2009 Rookie of the Year and nominated in 2012 for Virginia Tech’s Woman of the Year. After college graduation, I pursued my journey in the arts and am a SAG-AFTRA actress. As Flo Jo said, ‘Your dreams deserve a try…the sky’s the limit!’”
—Aunye Boone

“A couple of years ago, I went to an exhibit of the artist Alma Thomas’s work at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. The exhibit, called 'Everything is Beautiful,' was visually stunning and profoundly moving. I left inspired by Thomas’s approach to not only art but life. In addition to being a professional artist, Thomas was also a teacher in DC public schools and encouraged her students to explore the city in their free time. She wanted them to appreciate the richness of their surroundings—as she said, ‘I am teaching them the greatest art in the world, that is, the art of living. We all must develop an appreciation for the love of beauty.’ Thomas’s work served as a reminder to look for the beauty, the love, and the joy around us, something I try to bring to the work I produce at the NEA, especially in my pieces for our blog and magazine.”
—Carolyn Coons

“Nina Simone is my choice for a historical woman who has inspired me. When asked about freedom in a 1970 interview, she famously answered ‘I’ll tell you what freedom is to me, no fear.’ Ms. Simone’s journey through life, as a Black woman, musician, and activist, had an indelible imprint on my own. Her music and intense focus as an artist carried with it the totality of human existence—love, sorrow, self-worth, and the pursuit of freedom."
—Cheryl Schiele

“It is fitting that we honor the women who have made the biggest impact on our lives right as we mourn the recent loss of the 'mother of the disability rights movement,' Judy Heumann, on March 4, 2023. Judy’s impact on the lives of people with disabilities around the world is immeasurable, including her leadership in the fight for disability rights legislation, the independent living movement, equal and integrated education for students with disabilities, and the rights of people with disabilities internationally. Her mentorship and passionate work, both inside and outside of government, motivates me in my work at the NEA to fight for full inclusion and equity for people with disabilities in the arts. Lead on!”
—Beth Bienvenu

“Artemisia Gentileschi, who survived rape, humiliation, torture, loss—and also defied the odds and a dismissive patriarchy—to become one of the most accomplished painters in the 17th century. Her work is beautifully dramatic and fierce, and I’ve long admired her for it.”
—Kelli Rogowski

“I’m inspired by the work of Shakina Nayfack, an actress and creator who made television history as the first transgender person to play a series regular on a network comedy. I first discovered Shakina when she served as a mentor for the NEA’s Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, and watching her work with the young songwriters, imparting her vast knowledge while guiding them to find their own creative voices, was truly inspiring. She is the Founding Artistic Director of NEA grantee the Musical Theatre Factory, where she helped develop hundreds of new musicals including Michael R. Jackson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop along with her own autobiographical glam rock musical odyssey.”
—Greg Reiner

“As a vocalist, I was in awe when I saw the breadth in the talent of Lashana Lynch. She is a British actress, but also a singer (and more). In supporting the movie The Woman King and watching Matilda the Musical with my daughter, Lashana Lynch made me gasp in disbelief of how she portrayed the character of a domineering and fierce woman warrior in The Woman King and then the soft-spoken and loving teacher in Matilda the Musical, adding on her beautiful vocals. To see her in these two contrasting roles encourages me to not limit myself in the talents that I do have, but to accept the challenge to showcase my range of talents with the world.”
—Tamika Shingler

“I have found the work of Flannery O’Connor inspiring ever since reading her short story 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find' in high school. The dark humor, the sardonic wit, the deeply defective characters—what’s not to love? Besides her writing, there is the fact that in high school she once sewed a full outfit of underwear and clothes for her pet duck and brought the duck to school to model the clothes. Again, what’s not to love? And one of her quotes has served me well in both my writing and existing in the world: 'Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.'"
—Don Ball

“At a time when I was just finding my voice and my confidence as a disabled woman, I learned about Judy Heumann. Judy, a lifelong disability rights advocate and self-described 'change agent,' fought continuously to ensure people with disabilities could access buildings, jobs, education, health care, transportation, and anywhere else barriers were imposed until her recent passing on March 4, 2023. I channel her revolutionary spirit when I have to advocate for myself and others. When Judy became more recognizable because of the promotion of the film Crip Camp and her book Being Heumann, I felt like my voice was being heard. Judy’s persistence inspires me to continue to advocate for full accessibility in all aspects of society, including the arts.”
—Katharine Hayward

“Pauline Oliveros, American composer, accordionist, and central figure in the development of post-war experimental and electronic music. She inspires me because of her development of such concepts as ‘deep listening’ and ‘sonic awareness’ that emphasize the meditative quality to music. She inspires me to keep striving to live in the moment.”
—Court Burns

“In the words of Audrey Hepburn, ‘Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being's suffering.’ Hepburn was beautiful and compassionate, on screen and off. She devoted her life, drawing upon her prominence as an actor, to bringing attention to global challenges of hunger and human rights. Artists who make work and use their platforms to engage us in contemporary issues—Kara Walker, Maya Lin, Mierle Ukeles, Wendy Red Star, Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono, and Judy Baca—inspire me. Their work and Hepburn’s advocacy have made me more empathetic and aware. This sustains my optimism about the power of the arts to change hearts and minds. It’s a great privilege to work towards that.”
—Wendy Clark

“The single biggest influence on my deeply loving the arts was my mother. I was five when my father died, and my mother was left taking care of me as a solo act. Even though she worked and times were economically tough, certain things remained constant: reading before bed always; late Friday afternoon was library day for both of us; one Sunday afternoon each month, we would head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which was free then) and spend a couple of hours looking at art—I always got the first hour which often was in the Egyptian section but we always ended up with Rembrandt, her favorite; music across genres filled the apartment; and from the time I was eight, once a year she would take me to the theater. We would spend a good six months talking about what we would see—what the play was about, who wrote it, the setting—and I was prepared when I walked through those theater doors.”
—Josephine Reed

“Judy Heumann played an integral role in deepening my understanding about how we, as funders, can be more intentional to include the disability community within diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Among her many contributions to society, her Roadmap to Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in the Media will leave a long-lasting impact on the film and media arts field by paving the path for game-changing initiatives such as FWD-DOC, which seeks to increase the visibility of, support for, D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse filmmakers. Because of Judy, our agency adopted language to encourage grant applications from organizations supporting the independence and lifelong inclusion of people with disabilities. While it is with much sadness that we acknowledge her recent passing, her spirit will live on through the work of others and will continue to improve the lives of those around us.”
—Jax Deluca

“For me, the story of sculptor and graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett represents both the brilliance and beauty of art, as well as the bias and barriers faced too often by artists of the past and the present. Catlett is well-known for her socially conscious aesthetic, giving voice to issues related to gender, race, and culture; but her journey was not free from the challenges of racism, sexism, and classism along the way. Learning that a critical turning point for her life and career as an artist was directly connected to being a recipient of a fellowship grant in the 1940s is a profound example of the impact and importance of grant funding for artists and arts programming. While Catlett’s fellowship afforded her access to arts opportunities in Mexico in the 1940s and beyond, I am encouraged by the history of the NEA, since its establishment in 1965, and the great work it continues to do today for artists and arts culture in America. I feel privileged to be in a position to help remove barriers for artists and advance access to the arts across the nation. Art is liberating, transformative, and inspiring—and artists like Elizabeth Catlett are a strong reminder of why equity and access in the arts should be supported and protected.”
—Nicole Phillips