McLean , VA, May 17, 2011 – The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) has selected NavigationArts to redesign their website and introduce new audiences to their mission.  NavigationArts’ innovative approach will help drive traffic to the Museum via new channels and better showcase its historic and contemporary works of art.

Established in 1981, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists. Its collection includes  4,000 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photography, and new media, spanning from the 16th century to present day.  The museum’s core mission is to bring recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring, and researching art by women and by educating the public about their accomplishments.

According to Museum Director Susan Fisher Sterling: “In 2012, the museum will be 25 years old...and we recognized that the most important thing we could do for our anniversary is to redevelop NMWA’s website for a new generation. We are passionate about our mission and want to make sure that visitors engage with our unique message of ‘equity for women through excellence in the arts.’  The key is to create a content-rich site that is also user-centric. No one does that better than NavigationArts.”

The National Museum of Women in the Arts recognizes the importance of and the opportunity for its web presence to bolster and extend its experiential and educational reach while furthering its mission, and has begun the process of planning for a redesign of NMWA.org. In recent years, many museums, landmarks, and other attractions have experienced a decline in physical attendance and financial support due to the nation’s economic downturn. This is certainly not an indicator of declining interest, but presents a challenge in reaching and engaging a more selective pool of potential physical visitors, partners, and contributors. The solution is to plan for and develop a robust web presence supported by an extensible open source content management system that will provide users with instant and immersive access to information, conversation, and other rich web experiences while meeting them where they are online by optimizing for search and social media.

“We are thrilled to be working with such a prestigious museum and look forward to enhancing the organization’s website in order to elevate the user experience for those interested in learning about female artists and their artwork, sharing their passion for art, and interacting in an online community,” said Leo Mullen, CEO of NavigationArts.

About NavigationArts:
NavigationArts is a full-service web consultancy specializing in web strategy, user experience design, and technology. We help our clients meet their business needs by optimizing their Web presence for communication, e-commerce, community building, and more. We help our clients solve challenging problems by bringing together highly experienced cross-functional teams drawn from analytical, creative, and technical backgrounds.  At NavigationArts, we believe that user experience is the only sustainable competitive advantage online.  Our mission is to create online experiences that are most satisfying for our users and most valuable for our clients. For more information, go to www.navigationarts.com.


Meredith Casey
Marketing Specialist
703.584.8935
mcasey@navigationarts.com

Michelle Cragle
Acting Director of Communications, NMWA
202.783.7373
mcragle@nmwa.org