“One of the most important living artists to come out of Japan.” That is a common sentiment when talking about the legendary and multi-faceted Yayoi Kusama. Kusama, born in 1929, is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation, but is also just as involved in painting, performance, film, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. Most of her work is based in conceptual art, with some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, pop art, and abstract expressionism. Her complex work is also often infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. If anything, Kusama’s art forces the viewer to think deeply about not only a societal/cultural idea, but also how her’s and the viewer’s own aspects of life are paralleled in the pieces of artwork.

Dame Zaha Mohammed Hadid may not be the most talked about name in American households, but it certainly is well-known within the British, and specifically the Iraqi-British, community. Most notably known as the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Hadid has accomplished many firsts as a female architect throughout her career, making it one of the most impressive architectural careers to date.

Alexander Calder is a well-known name within the art—specifically sculpting—community, however, it is much less known by most others. Not only is it artistically enriching and fulfilling to be familiar with Calder’s groundbreaking work, it is also important for those outside of that world to be aware of the impressive archival work and support towards art, which Calder has continued even after death, through the Calder Foundation.