The Women:Hood project was conceived by Iowa artist, Satomi Kawai. Kawai immigrated to the United States from Japan and conceptions of Japanese womanhood permeate her artwork. Her practice of Zumba inspired her to interrogate how her cultural background influenced her perception of the feminine body. In the Women:Hood Project, Kawai interviewed women from varied cultural backgrounds about their conceptualization of womanhood. She and several other artists then responded to the interviews through original artworks.

Kawai began interviewing women in 2018, many of whom she knew through Zumba. The subjects of the interviews included immigrants from China, Japan, Kenya, and Vietnam; a Chicana; a trans woman; and the wife of an Iraqi immigrant. They had careers in diverse fields such as art, medicine, and politics. Nearly all had spent portions of their lives in Iowa. Kawai encouraged each interviewee to discuss their personal experiences and respond to questions such as “When were you first aware that you were a girl?” and “Has your idea of what being a woman means changed over time?”

The first edition of Woman:Hood and its responsive artworks showed virtually in 2021, and the second edition premiered at the Women’s Resource and Action Center in Iowa City, Iowa in 2023.