New York Society of Women Artists Welcomes Newly Elected Members

Seven artists join the Society's historic roster through juried selection

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The New York Society of Women Artists (NYSWA) has announced the election of seven new artists through its highly selective juried process, which confers lifelong membership in the Society. The newly elected members represent a range of contemporary practices including painting, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, and digital installation, and address themes of identity, labor, migration, material transformation, community, and personal experience.

Why it matters

Founded in 1925, NYSWA has a long history of advancing the work of women artists, and election to the Society reflects sustained artistic excellence and professional accomplishment. The collective impact of NYSWA members is most powerfully realized through the group's exhibitions, which engage issues extending beyond the art world.

The details

The newly elected NYSWA members are Sandra Cavanagh, Sherry Davis, Elizabeth de Béthune, Carolyn Oberst, Han Qin, Janet Rutkowski, and Joanne Steinhardt. Their practices span a range of media and themes, including figurative painting, mixed-media sculpture, representational portraiture, intuitive narratives, print and digital projects, reclaimed steel sculpture, and textile-based mixed-media works.

  • The NYSWA election process is highly selective and confers lifelong membership.
  • One of the group's upcoming exhibitions, 'Reflections on Progress – Courting Challenges,' will open on March 25, 2026, coinciding with Women's History Month.

The players

New York Society of Women Artists (NYSWA)

A historic organization founded in 1925 that has a long history of advancing the work of women artists.

Lori Horowitz

The president of the New York Society of Women Artists.

Sandra Cavanagh

A figurative painter whose work draws on myth, history, and personal narrative to examine political violence, mortality, and transgenerational memory.

Sherry Davis

A mixed-media sculptor working with reclaimed materials to explore labor, sustainability, and resilience rooted in agricultural traditions.

Elizabeth de Béthune

A representational painter whose intimate portraits document everyday life and preserve LGBTQ community histories.

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What they’re saying

“We welcome these powerful and necessary voices to NYSWA, Their practices reflect both the urgency of our time and the depth of artistic tradition that the Society has championed for 100 years.”

— Lori Horowitz, President, New York Society of Women Artists (EINPresswire)

What’s next

The newly elected NYSWA members will be featured in the group's upcoming exhibition 'Reflections on Progress – Courting Challenges,' which will open on March 25, 2026, at the Charles P. Sifton Gallery in the Eastern District of New York Courthouse in Brooklyn.

The takeaway

The election of these seven artists to the New York Society of Women Artists underscores the organization's longstanding commitment to championing the work of women artists and providing a platform for diverse contemporary practices that engage with critical social and political issues of our time.