To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is having a special exhibition on women from the Danville⎼Pittsylvania County area whose accomplishments, dedication, dignity, and talent enriched and helped grow the region. 

The exhibit will feature portraits and personal items of fourteen local women and will focus on their lives and the contributions that helped shape their communities. As part of the exhibit, DMFAH will also host two presentations (March 27th and 28th) on some of the women featured in the exhibit.

It is anticipated that the exhibit will expand into an annual display each March during Women’s History Month to highlight other local women and their contributions.  

Location: Jennings Gallery, Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, 975 Main Street, Danville, VA 24541

The exhibit will feature the following women: 

1. Ruby Batts Archie: Former Danville City mayor, city council member, educator, and leader. 
2. Nancy Witcher Langhorne “Lady” Astor: British politician and the first woman to sit on the British parliament.
3. Jane Appleton Bond: Painter and sculptor who taught at Stratford College. 
4. Lynne Hobart Bjarnesen: Artist, teacher, volunteer, and former director of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History.
5. Anne Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany: Civil Rights pioneer from Pittsylvania County and the second licensed African American female dentist in New York.
6. Sarah Louise “Sadie” Delany:  Educator, author, and Civil Rights activist from Pittsylvania County.
7. Harriet Fitzgerald:  Nationally known painter and lecturer from Danville. Directed the Abingdon Square Painters in New York City.
8. Maud Florance Gatewood: Caswell County native and one of North Carolina’s most distinguished painters.
9. Minister Xelia Verba Blaine Hickson: Beloved Danville educator, musician, vocalist, and minister.
10. Rachel Donelson Jackson: Born to a pioneering family in Pittsylvania County, she later married President Andrew Jackson.
11. Jane Perkins: Lived in Pittsylvania County, she disguised herself as a man to serve as a soldier during the Civil War.
12. Frances Kipps Spencer:  Member of the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville who created the first Chrismon Christmas tree ornaments, which have since spread worldwide. 
13. Jane Erwin Patrick Sutherland: Owner of the Sutherlin mansion along with her husband, William Sutherlin. She ran the Sutherlin family businesses for 18 years after her husband’s death. 
14. Bettie Thompson: Minister and founder of the James Street Holiness Church in 1891- one of the first Holiness churches in Virginia. 

For more information, please contact the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History at info@danvillemuseum.org or 434-793-5644.