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History by Design: Women Who Break Down Barriers

“A museum is a school; The Artist learns to communicate; The public learns to make connections.” –Luis Camnitzer

Women Who Break Down Barriers

The below resources are meant to support the work of Curator Crews that chose the Women Who Break Down Barriers pathway within the Evolving Roles of Wo/men critical lens. These resources are suggestions for what to do during your club meetings. 

Resources From Cultural Institutions

New-York Historical Society

National Women's History Museum

  • Find lots of resources on remarkable women in history including Shirley Chisholm. 
  • Many short biographies of prominent women searchable by era, topic, and location. 

Museum of The City of New York

  • Looking for resources related to Shirley Chisholm (or Pauli Murray or Bella Abzug)? Check out this lesson plan from MCNY. Students will consider why women have chosen to run for office against historical barriers as a means to influence change from within and outside the government.

What To Look For

  • Photographs
  • Biographies
  • News article
  • Journal articles
  • Books
  • Social commentators and philosophers
  • Sociology principles

Suggested Search Terms

  • Female firsts in fields typically dominated by men such as STEM, politics, banking, sports, architecture, entrepreneurship, and tech
  • Females who were not welcomed at first
  • The overlap of a person's multiple identities resulting in double oppression
  • The glass ceiling
  • Unequal pay for women
  • The Second Shift
  • Maternity leave in the US
  • Title IX
  • Specific individuals
    • Shirley Chisholm
    • Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Sonia Sotomayor
    • Billie Jean King
    • Marie Curie
    • Carly Fiorina 
    • Sirimavo Bandaranaike
    • Anna Mae Wong
    • Marsha P. Johnson

Asynchronous Virtual Field Trips

The Paley Center for Media

  • Go on the Portrayals of Women on Television virtual field trip. You will watch clips of women leading the pack in television shows and consider the accompanying discussion questions. 

Synchronous Live Virtual Field Trips

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

  • Go on a trip to The Met to learn more about women who overcame barriers to get to where they are today.
    • How do I sign up? To request a virtual field trip, please contact schoolvisits@metmuseum.org and cc Chelsea at least two weeks in advance. Write in your email that you are from the History by Design program and you would like the focus of your trip to be on Women Who Overcame Barriers. 

New-York Historical Society

  • Go on the Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage virtual field trip to learn how women won the right to vote, how that right was contested for women of marginalized groups, and the many other ways women have exercised and expressed their political identities.
    • How do I sign up? Email schoolprograms@nyhistory.org to let them know what trip you're interested in and what your availability is. Please make sure to cc clewkow@schools.nyc.gov and mention you are with the History by Design program. This will let the scheduler know all financial paperwork should go to the program manager, not the school. 

The Paley Center for Media

  • Go on the Portrayals of Women on Television virtual field trip. You will watch clips of female characters on television shows and consider the accompanying discussion questions. 
    • How do I sign up? Email eduny@paleycenter.org with your name, school name and address, virtual field trip name, date and time preference for trip, the number of students, grade level and any tech limitations/preferences (E.g. does Zoom work or is there a different platform you prefer?)

New York Transit Museum

  • Go on the Women In Transit virtual field trip to learn about women in transit who thrived in traditionally male-dominated fields, and how roles have changed over time.  Hear stories of pioneering women who were early change-makers and innovators, the first female train conductors and operators, and decision-makers of the 21st century.  
    • How do I sign up? Visit the Explorable Places page to register your Crew. Make sure to mention you are part of the History by Design program in the notes.