This week we’re celebrating female artists who have made a mark on their craft. From photography to paintings and prints, these artists explore the detail in their surroundings, and play with pattern, color, and technique to create inspiring works of art.

In New York, Robert Mann Gallery presents a series of images by Margaret Watkins (Canadian, 1884–1969), an early talent in the study of photography. The artist was best known as an educator; she taught at the Clarence H. White School of Photography. As part of the exhibition, Watkins’s works are presented alongside the work of her students, Paul Outerbridge Jr. (American, 1896–1958), Ralph Steiner (American, 1899–1986), and Doris Ulmann (American, 1882–1934). While the artist began her photography studies under the tutelage of Pictorialism, she is best known for her intimate investigations of everyday scenes. Watkins took the teachings of fellow White School alums, Arthur Wesley Dow (American, 1857–1922) and Max Weber (American, 1881–1961), as a model to build her own distinct aesthetic. Using light, shade, and a clean Modernist style, she saw the beauty in everyday scenes, bringing mundane subjects into wondrous light. For instance, in Kitchen Sink, the artist takes an everyday image into studied focus, and makes it a work of art.

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Margaret Watkins, Kitchen Sink, 1919, Robert Mann Gallery, New York, NY

Margaret Watkins: Domestic Symphony will be on display from March 14 to May 11, 2013, at 525 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001.

At JanKossen Contemporary in Basel, Switzerland, artists Mami Yamanaka (Japanese) and Mari Ito (Japanese, b.1980) use paintings and prints to understand the complexities of our interaction with nature. In Reflection IV, Yamanaka lets the piece take its own course, by creating detailed designs with a single and continuous pen stroke. The result is a self-reflective discovery in beautiful detail.

Mami Yamanaka, Reflection IV, 2012, JanKossen Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland

Mami Yamanak & Mari Ito: Der Ursprung des Verlangens (The Origin of Desire) will be on view from March 14 to April 26 at 101 Haltingerstrasse, BS 4053 Basel, Switzerland.

Browse openings by city to see where art can be found in your town!
Birmingham, MI
Beverly Fishman | Artificial Paradise at Wasserman Projects
March 14–April 26, 2013
2163 Cole Street, Birmingham, MI

Brussels, Belgium
Mark Hagen ‘Black Swamp’ at Galerie Almine Rech
March 14–April 10, 2013
14 rue de Praetere, 14 Praeterestraat, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Chicago, IL
Jacques Villeglé: Décollages 1988-2000 at Alan Koppel Gallery
March 14–April 30, 2013
806 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60610

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sadik Alfraji: I Do Not Feel That I Am Free at Ayyam Gallery
March 14–April 27, 2013
Alserkal Avenue, Exit 43 of SZR, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Falmouth, ME
Ilya Askinazi: New Works & Brenton Hamilton: Ancient Light at Elizabeth Moss Gallery
March 14–April 20, 2013
251 US Route 1, Falmouth, ME 04105

Geneva, Switzerland
Alfredo Aceto ‘iii-ooo’ at Blancpain Art Contemporain
March 14–April 27, 2013
63 Rue des Maraîchers, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Peter Hutchinson ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ at Blancpain Art Contemporain
March 14–April 27, 2013
63 Rue des Maraîchers, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Works on Paper at Blondeau & Cie
March 14–April 13, 2013
5 rue de la Muse, 12-5 Geneva, Switzerland

Montreal, Canada
Like Thunder Out of China – A Selection of Chinese Contemporary Artists at Galerie Division
2020 William Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3J 1R8 Canada

Munich, Germany
A. R. Penck (knust kunst editions) at Sabine Knust Galerie Maximilian Verlag
March 14–20, 2013
Ludwigstr 7, 80539 Munich, Germany

New York, NY

California Dreaming at Barbara Mathes Gallery
March 14–April 27, 2013
22 E. 80th Street, New York, NY 10075

ERWIN OLAF: Berlin at HASTED KRAEUTLER
March 14–April 27, 2013
537 W. 24th Street, New York, NY 10011

Paris, France
Yang Yongliang ‘The Silent Valley’ at Galerie Paris-Beijing
March 14–April 27, 2013
54, rue du Vertbois, Métro Arts et Métiers, 75003 Paris, France

San Francisco, CA
Amir H. Fallah: The Collected at Gallery Wendi Norris
March 14–April 27, 2013
161 Jessie Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Vienna, Austria
Gallery Walk in the whole of the 1st District of Vienna (Galerienrundgang 1010 Wien) at Galerie Benedict
March 14, 2013
Sonnenfelsgasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria