In 1978, the Kentucky Commission on Women launched a campaign to bring attention to outstanding women who made significant contributions to Kentucky's history but who had been overlooked.
The project, then called “Kentucky Women Excel," began as an exhibit at the Kentucky State Fair. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians viewed watercolor portraits of six women from various backgrounds who worked in non-traditional ways during the eras in which they lived.
Once funding permitted, this collection of portraits was made into a traveling exhibit. Eventually, the Commission, in an effort to establish women's rightful place in Kentucky's history, lobbied to have the portraits hung in the Kentucky State Capitol and create a balance to the various statues and busts of men.
In 1996, the renamed Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit found a permanent home in the State Capitol. It now includes nearly 80 portraits of outstanding women who have made an indelible mark on the commonwealth.
After an extended period with no additions to the exhibit, the Beshear-Coleman administration made up for lost time in 2023, adding seven women. In 2024, four more portraits were added.
Due to the closure of the State Capitol for renovations in 2025 – a project expected to last 4-6 years – the portraits in the exhibit are not currently on display. For this reason, the Commission had the portraits professionally photographed and worked with the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives to create an online exhibit of the portraits so that they could be accessed anytime.
Click the link below to access the online exhibit created by the Kentucky Department for Library and Archives.