NH Women Trailblazers Exhibit

By Sherry Wood

The exhibit “NH Women Trailblazers” is a tribute to all the women who dared to challenge social, economic, and political barriers.

“We wanted to highlight courageous New Hampshire women who have improved our lives, and for girls and women to see these role models who have broken barriers,” Mary-Jo Monusky said.

She is curating the exhibit in the Athenaeum’s Randall Gallery with Mara Witzling, Ellen Fineberg and Susan Roman.

It runs from March 6 to June 20.

Categories include aeronautics, arts and culture, athletics, business, civil rights, education, the environment, government, and voting rights.

Among the 40 women being honored are Mary Carey Dondero (1894-1960), New Hampshire’s and Portsmouth’s first female mayor; Harriet Wilson, the first published African American novelist; Dudley Dudley, who in 1974 stopped the Onassis oil refinery in Great Bay; swimmer Jenny Thompson of Dover, who took home 12 medals in Olympics between 1992 and 2004; and Valerie Cunningham, who co-authored Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African American Heritage in 2004 and established the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail.

Other women being highlighted are Concord teacher Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986), chosen for the Teacher in Space program and assigned to the space shuttle Challenger. She inspired students across the country before and after her death in the shuttle’s explosion 73 seconds after its launch.

In the arts and culture category is Lotte Jacobi (1896-1990), who photographed notables such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Albert Einstein. She established a photo studio in New Hampshire in 1955. Jacobi bequeathed her extensive collection of negatives to the University of New Hampshire.

Also in the mix: Author Grace Metalious (1924-1964), who grew up in Manchester and went on to shock the nation with her blockbuster bestseller “Peyton Place.” The novel defied 1950s social norms and was made into a movie and popular television series.

The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m.