Over the centuries until quite recently great women artists had been ignored, forgotten, or somehow denied; they had been largely left out of museums and histories of art. Along came Wilhelmina Cole Holliday, who boldly decided to rectify this oversight by founding a museum in 1987 in a landmark building three blocks from the White House. A critic for the "Washington Post" wrote: 'Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, the museum's founding president, has accomplished something radical. No player in the art scene here has a deeper understanding of power and money and of how our system works. Despite her white-glove graciousness, hard-working Billie Holladay is a warrior and a winner'. Mrs. Holladay's goal was to recognize the achievements of woman in all the arts. NMWA now boasts a notable permanent collection, a robust endowment and a growing membership - among the top ten museums in the world-with active, vocal committees all across the nation and in many countries.