Hidden Women art exhibit showcases student work

Stop by the first floor of Penfield Library to view the "Hidden Women" art exhibit! Completed as a themed project by students in Advanced Illustration and Graphic Design, the portraits were inspired by the film and book “Hidden Figures.” Illustrators and designers were challenged to create portraits that celebrate and commemorate the contributions of Black Women to American society. All the women featured in this exhibition worked to better the world around them. Many are only now starting to get the recognition they deserve.

One of the main characteristics of portraits in the exhibition is that they were meant to be more than just pictures of the individual’s appearance. These portraits are intended to commemorate their subjects, to capture each women’s personality as it connected to the work they were passionate about. Each poster was meant to show respect, celebrating each person’s life by acknowledging their contribution to society. Environmental in nature, these portraits offer visual references that refer to the heart of their work. Illustrators could create portraits that feel candid or staged, but the picture needed to tell the story of these hidden women. Many of whom were left out of the public narrative connected to their fields.

Participating Illustrators & Designers:
Brianna Beedy — Portrait of Dr. Mae Jemison
Alexander Case — Portrait of Octavia Estelle Butler
Alexis Cleveland — Portrait of Daisy Bates
Nicholas Cusack — Portrait of Mary Jackson
Kaileah Decker — Portrait of Katherine G. Johnson
Darian Deeley — Portrait of Josephine Baker
Cindy Dong — Portrait of Leontyne Price
Evelyn Frederickson — Portrait of Toni Morrison
Bethany Garcia — Portrait of Augusta Savage
Peter Gray — Portrait of Bessie Coleman
Lauren Jones — Portrait of Dorothy Vaughan
Murron Keating-Porcella — Portrait of Maya Angelou
Jacob Roden — Portrait of Patricia Bath
Jose Gomez — Portrait of Lisa Gelobter
Naija Sheppard — Portrait of Shirley Chisholm