How does I.M.O.W. fulfill its mission?

I.M.O.W. is a groundbreaking social change museum that connects and inspires people with powerful ideas and new ways of thinking that transform women's lives and the world. With its unique focus on cultural change, I.M.O.W. advances the human right to gender equity worldwide.

We invite you to join this innovative twenty-first century museum and invest in making the world a better place for our daughters, granddaughters and nieces as well as our sons, grandsons and nephews by participating in I.M.O.W.'s new global online exhibition Women, Power and Politics.

How was I.M.O.W. founded?

I.M.O.W. was originally founded as the Women's Heritage Museum in 1985. For over 10 years, the Women's Heritage Museum produced several exhibitions, hosted public programs, sponsored an annual book fair, provided teacher resources for Women's History Month, honored unknown women from our local history and recreated historic events.

One day a woman named Elizabeth Colton was seeking a destination to take her daughter to learn about women's lives and history. Elizabeth, without knowing her, contacted Gloria Steinem, noted feminist activist, and asked her to identify such a place. Upon learning that nothing existed, Elizabeth discovered the Women's Heritage Museum and soon become a dedicated volunteer.

In 1997, Elizabeth took notice that a group of local teachers were seeking a place to take their students. After a few years of serving on the board and working with the museum, Elizabeth and a group of other board members were sitting around her kitchen table and decided to transform the existing Women's Heritage Museum into the International Museum of Women. The small group then asked 100 women and men to each donate $1,000 to create the new museum.

Since it's inception in 1997, I.M.O.W. has organized seven major exhibitions, hosted public forums, developed educational curriculum for schools and created a speaker series drawing world-class artists, authors and political leaders.

In 2005, I.M.O.W. embarked on a plan to build an innovative twenty-first century museum model to engage and impact women around the world through strategic partnerships, innovative global online exhibitions and local events.

In 2006, I.M.O.W.'s strategy culminated with the launching of Imagining Ourselves: A Global Generation of Women, I.M.O.W.'s first interactive, multi-lingual online exhibition that connected more than a million participants around the world. Founded and directed by Paula Goldman, the wildly successful project garnered worldwide recognition and awards including the Anita Borg Social Impact Award.

I.M.OW.'s imaginative, unique and cutting-edge approach continues in 2008 with the launch of the global online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics. The exhibition runs from March 8 - December 31, 2008 in four languages - Arabic, English, French and Spanish - just as the spotlight intensifies on the groundbreaking campaigns, elections and leadership of women from Argentina to the United States. Women, Power, and Politics will connect visitors to the stories of women who have harnessed politics and power to transform women's lives and society. Through online exhibitions, online community-building tools, and a live speaker series, Women, Power and Politics will spark conversations to inspire women to take action in their own communities and participate in broader political arenas as well.

Who is associated with I.M.O.W.?

I.M.O.W. operates under a Board of Directors consisting of philanthropic, business and community leaders, a professional staff and hundreds of volunteers.

I.M.O.W. also receives strategic guidance from its Global Council members, a group of distinguished women leaders from around the world. The Global Council is a group of diverse international leaders such as Eve Ensler, Dolores Huerta and Mary Robinson (former president of Ireland) who are committed to strengthening and improving the lives of women throughout the world through: education, health care, social welfare, community development, politics, law, the arts, media, science, technology, sports, philanthropy, business, protection of the environment and the promotion of world peace and justice.

What programs does I.M.O.W. offer?

As a social change museum, I.M.O.W. offers global online exhibitions serving a worldwide community. Through the use of advanced technology, strategic partnerships with global organizations and a physical presence in the San Francisco bay area, I.M.O.W. offers innovative programming both locally and beyond.

SPEAKER SERIES: Extraordinary Voices, Extraordinary Change is I.M.O.W.'s renowned speaker series, held quarterly in San Francisco. It is a series of lectures by women from around the world who have made profound and unprecedented political, social and economic changes in the lives of women worldwide. These lectures highlight the roles they have played to show that women can and have made a difference nationally and internationally.

EXHIBITIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS: Exhibitions and special events offer visitors engaging experiences that inform them about women's issues and roles across cultures and throughout time, provoking them to question the status quo through an examination of individual identity, cultural structures and social order.

Interactive global online exhibitions invite visitors to join in dialogue with other women around the world, support international partner organizations doing important work on behalf of women, and build global communities through the reach of the internet. A public forum of I.M.O.W.'s Global Council members is held annually with over a dozen women leaders to discuss global issues concerning women's human rights.

ONLINE EDUCATION: As part of a continuing commitment to education, I.M.O.W. provides online art and education programs and curricula for teachers that are culturally-sensitive, age-appropriate and interactive.

Does I.M.O.W. have a physical site?

I.M.O.W. is in the process of creating permanent physical exhibition site in our hometown of San Francisco and hopefully one day around the world, a place where visitors can connect and become inspired in person. We plan to open our site in San Francisco by 2012.

Is there a membership program?

We welcome museum members beginning at $35 for a student member and $50 for general membership. You can join online.