The Anonymous Was A Woman Award is a grant program for women artists who are over 40 years of age, in part to counter sexism in the art world. It began in 1996 in direct response to the National Endowment for the Arts' decision to stop funding individual artists.
The award comes with a grant of $25,000 and is designed to enable exceptional woman artists to further develop their work. Awardees are chosen on the basis of their past accomplishments, their originality and artistic growth, and the quality of their work. Since 1996, more than 300 women have received the award and approximately $6.5 million USD has been awarded in total.
The award was founded by a New York artist who originally chose to remain anonymous. She named the award in reference to a line from the Virginia Woolf book A Room of One's Own and in recognition of all the women artists through the ages who have remained anonymous for various reasons. Nominators, who include art writers, curators, art historians, and previous winners, are likewise unnamed.
In July 2018, the artist Susan Unterberg was revealed as both the founder and funder of the award. Before 2018, she had remained anonymous so that her artwork would be evaluated in its own context, without being influenced by her contributions. In an interview, she described her reasons for coming forward, stating "It’s a great time for women to speak up. I feel I can be a better advocate having my own voice," and that she can now work openly to further the organization's cause and to encourage philanthropists and women artists. On top of the awarded grants, Unterberg is considering other forms of programs, possibly seminars, to complement the grants.
Exhibitions Anonymous Was A Woman: The First 25 Years, Grey Art Museum at New York University, N.Y., April 1-July 19, 2025. This exhibit was curated by Nancy Princenthal and Vesela Sretenović. Anonymous Was A Woman: The First 25 Years, celebrating the awardees from 1996-2020, was published on January 1, 2025, by the Grey Art Museum and Hirmer Verlag.
In Fall 2025, the Kreeger Museum, Washington, D.C., exhibited Anonymous Was a Woman: Jae Ko | linn meyers | Joyce J. Scott | Renée Stout. The exhibited featured the works of Ko, Meyers, Scott and Stout, all Anonymous Was a Woman grant recipients, and all based in the Washington, D.C. area. The exhibit was curated by Dr. Vesela Sretenović.
Award winners Listed below are the winners of the award.
2025
Candida Alvarez Ambreen Butt JoAnne Carson Cecelia Condit Lola Flash Sonya Kelliher-Combs Michelle Marcuse Park McArthur Nicole Miller Narcissister Dhara Rivera Linda Stark Kunié Sugiura Hong-An Truong Paula Wilson
2024
Erica Baum Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter Mary Lee Bendolph Natalie Bookchin Rashida Bumbray Mary Ellen Carroll Robin Hill Joyce Kozloff Jen Liu Gladys Nilsson Liz Phillips Liliana Porter Shirley Tse Takako Yamaguchi Constantina Zavitsanos
2023
Carolina Caycedo Liz Collins Stanya Kahn Steffani Jemison Barbara Kasten Athena LaTocha Candice Lin Suchitra Mattai Dindga McCannon Linn Meyers Erika Cosby Amanda Ross-Ho Drew Shiflett Cauleen Smith Saya Woolfalk
2022
Micha Cárdenas Syd Carpenter Yreina Cervántez Donna Conlon Abigail DeVille Leslie Hewitt Beatriz Santiago Muñoz Mary Lovelace O'Neal Jaune Quick-to-See Smith Wendy Red Star Mira Schor Coreen Simpson Ka-Man Tse Philemona Williamson Shirley Woodson
2021
Nanette Carter - Painting Oletha DeVane - Sculpture Adama Delphine Fawundu - Photography Anita Fields - Sculpture Coco Fusco - Time-based media Renée Green - Installation Judithe Hernández - Drawing Suzanne Jackson (artist) - Textile Autumn Knight - Performance Adia Millett - Interdisciplinary Anna Sew Hoy - Performance Julie Tolentino - Time-based media Dyani White Hawk - Sculpture Marian Zazeela - Light installation
2020
D.Y. Begay – Textiles Linda Goode Bryant – Installation Barbara Chase-Riboud – Sculpture, Installation Elena del Rivero – Painting, Drawing Chitra Ganesh – Drawing Karen Gunderson – Painting Virginia Jaramillo – Painting Claudia Joskowicz – Film, Video Karyn Olivier – Sculpture Juana Valdés – Interdisciplinary
2019
Elia Alba – Interdisciplinary Marsha Cottrell – Drawing Torkwase Dyson – Painting Heide Fasnacht – Painting, Drawing, Sculpture Nona Faustine – Photography Rhodessa Jones – Interdisciplinary Jennifer Wen Ma – Visual Art Amie Siegel – Interdisciplinary Diane Simpson – Sculpture Karina Aguilera Skvirsky – Photography, Video, Performance
2018
Dotty Attie – Painting María Magdalena Campos-Pons – Photography, performance, painting, sculpture, film, and video Patty Chang – Performance, video, writing, installation Beverly Fishman – Painting Kate Gilmore – Installation, video, performance Heather Hart – Multi-disciplinary Deborah Roberts – Mixed media Rocío Rodríguez – Painting Michèle Stephenson – Film Betty Tompkins – Painting
2017
Nancy Bowen – Sculpture and drawing Martha Diamond – Painting Stephanie Jackson – Painting Jennie C. Jones – Mixed-media Marisa Morán Jahn – Sculpture, film, video, public art, performance Amalia Mesa-Bains – Visual art Amy Sherald – Painting Michelle Stuart – Visual art Mia Westerlund Roosen – Sculpture Carrie Yamaoka – Visual art
2016
Shiva Ahmadi Laura Anderson Barbata Tania Bruguera Sonya Clark Simone Leigh Medrie MacPhee Eiko Otake Rona Pondick Lourdes Portillo Shinique Smith
2015
Donna Dennis Wendy Ewald Simone Forti Rachel Harrison Pam Lins Jennifer Montgomery Dona Nelson Lisa Sanditz Lisa Sigal Julianne Swartz
2014
Janine Antoni Nicole Eisenman Harmony Hammond Kira Lynn Harris Lynn Hershman Leeson Hilja Keading Elizabeth King Beverly Semmes Elise Siegel Marianne Weems
2013
Alice Aycock Uta Barth Diana Cooper Suzan Frecon Katy Grannan Jane Hammond Sharon Hayes Suzanne Lacy Liza Lou Sarah Oppenheimer Yvonne Rainer Mickalene Thomas
2012
Ann Agee Andrea Fraser Mary Kelly Jae Ko Judy Pfaff Betye Saar Lorna Simpson Jessica Stockholder
2011
Eleanor Antin Linda Besemer Dara Birnbaum Andrea Bowers Ann Hamilton Yoko Inoue Jungjin Lee Mary Miss Sheila Pepe Judith Shea
2010
Maureen Connor Samm Kunce Louise Lawler Elizabeth LeCompte Suzanne McClelland Joyce Pensato Laura Poitras Victoria Sambunaris Arlene Shechet Eve Sussman
2009
Ida Applebroog Phyllis Bramson Patricia Cronin Taylor Davis Elana Herzog Andrea Modica Carrie Moyer Kelly Reichardt Kay Rosen Penelope Umbrico
2008
KayLynn Deveney Lesley Dill Gail Dolgin Rochelle Feinstein Beryl Korot Catherine Lord Lorraine O’Grady Christy Rupp Nancy Shaver Frances Stark
2007
Miriam Beerman Lois Conner Petah Coyne Agnes Denes Diane Edison Paula Hayes Joan Semmel Jill Slosburg-Ackerman Leslie Thornton Carrie Mae Weems
2006
Xenobia Bailey Francis Barth Judith Bernstein Ellen Bruno Terry Evans Mary Heilmann An-My Le Howardena Pindell Martha Rosler Marie K. Watt
2005
Nancy Chunn Deborah Hoffman Sharon Horvath Zoe Leonard Judy Linn Senga Nengudi Carolee Schneemann Valeska Soares Kathryn Spence Meg Webster
2004
Janet Biggs Moyra Davey Liz Deschenes Jessica Diamond Joy Garnett Elizabeth Lyons Sarah McEneaney J. Morgan Puett Alison Saar Carmelita Tropicana
2003
Meg Cranston Nancy Davenport Nancy Dwyer Maria Elena Gaitan Gillian Jagger Nina Katchadourian Melissa Miller Joan Nelson Frances Reid Hanneline Røgeberg
2002
Lutz Bacher Beverly Buchanan Kathy Butterly Pat de Groot Alison Knowles Deborah Luster Sana Musasama Connie Samaras Kimsooja Gail Wight
2001
Judith Barry Nao Bustamante Marta Chilindron Anne Chu Laura Letinsky Yong Soon Min Maria Nordman Clarissa Sligh Mierle Laderman Ukeles Jan Yager
2000
Laura Aguilar Chakaia Booker Margaret Honda Mildred Howard Liz Larner Beverly McIver Catherine Murphy Judith Joy Ross Ritsuko Taho Kukuli Velarde
1999
Beth B Sheila Batiste Ginny Bishton Nancy Burson Judy Fox Judith Linhares Ruth Marten Renee Stout Steina Vasulka Cecilia Vicuña
1998
Polly Apfelbaum Cindy Bernard Ellen Driscoll Jeanne Dunning Nene Humphrey Joan Jonas Sermin Kardestuncer Lisa Lewenz Ann Messner Shelly Silver
1997
Tomie Arai Gretchen Bender Nancy B. Davidson Cheryl Donegan Cheryl Dunye Judy Glantzman Maria Elena Gonzalez Kathy Grove Maren Hassinger Mary Lucier Joyce Scott
1996
Rachel Berwick Gina Lamb Claudia Matzko Robin Mitchell Jeanne Silverthorne Shellburne Thurber Deborah Willis Lucy Winer Lynne Yamamoto Kim Yasuda
References Dobrzynski, Judith H. "Anonymous Gifts for Art, So Women Creating It Aren't". New York Times, Oct. 12, 1997.
"The Award". Anonymous Was A Woman website.