Over the course of the exhibition, we have received many submissions from artists who unfortunately do not meet our 20 to 40 age qualifications.  It has been with great regret that we have had to reject the work of many talented women.  Many of you have e-mailed us your hurt and frustration labeling the exhibit ageist and, therefore unrepresentative of all women.

The below e-mail reflects one woman's concerns about the age criteria.

The exhibitions team and the International Museum of Women understand these concerns.  In gearing the Imagining Ourselves project towards women in the 20 to 40 age bracket, our objective was certainly not to discriminate or neglect the voices of women outside this age group.

Our aim was to explore the defining experiences and perspectives of this specific and unique generation of women, who see the world a bit differently.  We recognized that young women today often face a radically different set of choices and experiences than their mothers and grandmothers, and that they have the potential to use these new opportunities and privileges, to transform the world as we know it.  And we heard over and over from partner organizations that they were having a hard time reaching younger women, who are a crucial audience for their work.  

That is why the International Museum of Women boldly chose to create a project specifically about women in their twenties and thirties.  Many of these women who participate in our exhibition express feeling indebted to the work their mothers and grandmothers did and they realize that they have more opportunities available to them than previous generations did.  That said, there is room in the exhibit for everyone to participate.  It is a project by young women, but it is for everyone.

More importantly, Imagining Ourselves is only one of the International Museum of Women's projects.  Our next project, for example, on Women Power & Politics -- does not focus on any particular age group.