Susan Fisher Sterling Steps Down After 18 Years at NMWA

Susan Fisher Sterling is stepping down as director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. Eighteen years in the top post. Thirty-eight years at the institution overall, joining in 1988 as an associate curator.

The museum announced the retirement in a press release last week. No successor named yet. No transition timeline beyond "this year."

Sterling's tenure covers the museum's full maturation. She arrived when the NMWA was seven years old, still finding its institutional footing. She leaves it as a known quantity in the capital's museum circuit. Under her watch, the collection grew to over 6,000 works. The building underwent a $67.5 million renovation, completed in 2023. The Great Hall reopened with cleaner sightlines and better climate control.

The NMWA is the only major museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to women artists. Sterling's directorship kept that mandate legible without turning it into a talking point. The institution focused on exhibitions, not press cycles. Last year's survey of Betye Saar drew steady attendance without social-media theatrics.

Sterling's replacement will inherit a stable operation. The question is whether the next director keeps the same register or pushes for a louder profile. The museum has never chased trends. That's been its strength and its ceiling.