Hundred Heroines is a charity, comprising a museum and gallery, dedicated to women in photography. We conserve and correct the past, celebrate and challenge the present, change the future and strive to be a good neighbour in all that we do
Our mission is to use the power of photography to support self-representation and amplify overlooked voices by creating engaging spaces where adults and young people can shape their own stories and connect through art.
Our three core routes to impact are:
- Exhibitions, at the gallery and through impactful community based installations e.g.local green spaces
- Youth programming and engagement
- A thriving volunteering and placement programmes for local people and students
Each of these routes to impact focuses on participation that invites people to author their own narratives and engage critically with the world around them, whether that be local activism, art history and techniques or critical issues in society such as climate change.
Our Charity Aims
(i) to establish and maintain a museum for the conservation and exhibition of art, artefacts, documents and other material relating in particular (but not exclusively) to women in photography, including the collection, storage, research and conservation of all such material;
(ii) to advance art for the general public, particularly (but not exclusively) in photography and the visual arts, in particular by the exhibition and promotion of, and creating access to, women in photography; and
(iii) to advance the education of the general public, by increasing the public’s knowledge and understanding of photography and in doing so to promote the highest standards of achievement in photography in order to encourage public knowledge and appreciation of photography, in particular (but not exclusively) the contribution of women in photography.
Our History
2020 marked the re-birth of Hundred Heroines as it achieved charitable status, thus securing its independence as an organisation. Despite the challenging operating environment created by the global pandemic, the passion and drive behind Hundred Heroines have resulted in an impressive presence that delivers intrigue, education and enrichment – the first step in its transition from campaign to movement.
Pre 2020
In 2018, to mark the centenary of the women’s right to vote in the UK, the Royal Photographic Society ran a public campaign, conceived and led by its Vice President, Dr Del Barrett, to identify outstanding female photographers from around the globe. The response was overwhelming with nearly 5,000 people nominating more than 1,300 different candidates. From this, a panel of luminaries from the photographic world selected a final list: The One Hundred Heroines, representing the best of the inspiring women from across the world, whose work is transforming photography and the visual arts.
The project was so successful, it began to generate a range of new activities, and growing interest and support. To enable the project to flourish, and to provide a platform for further related initiatives, a new organisation was created by Dr Barrett with the name Hundred Heroines, and the RPS has now passed the custodianship for all future activity directly to this organisation, at the end of 2019.
