Birmingham city leaders have unveiled a new art exhibit that stems from the city’s StrongHer campaign, an initiative that aims to honor the unsung women who live, work, volunteer or attend school in the Magic City.
In 2019, Mayor Randall Woodfin launched the StrongHer campaign to share the stories of the city’s hardworking women. Every day during March, an honoree is featured on the city’s website and social media pages.
”[StrongHer] introduces us to people we may not know. We get to learn what they did. We get to know what motivates them to get up every day to help make a difference in Birmingham, and I think that's so important,” said Chanda Temple, senior project manager at the Birmingham Mayor’s Office in an interview with APR back in September.
On March 8th, Mayor Woodfin unveiled the new StrongHer art exhibit on the second floor of City Hall. The exhibit contains 20 pieces created by Christina Johnson who is the Artist in Residence for Railroad Park and a 2024 StrongHer honoree.
The opening of the exhibit follows the release of the StrongHer book, “StrongHer: Women Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges in Birmingham” written by Temple. The publication contains stories about more than 150 women who have be featured in StrongHer. [a1]
“Reading the StrongHer book truly inspired me and spoke to my soul. My goal (with the paintings) was to just really embody all that we are as women,’’ said Johnson in a press release. “As a woman, as a wife and as an artist, we have many moving pieces. We wear many hats. But we carry a great strength within us, and when you put us together, there’s even more strength.’’
The exhibit also contains a piece by Milana Price, a 9-year-old lung cancer survivor with a dream of becoming an artist and pilot. Each piece in the gallery is titled and is accompanied by an inspirational quote.
“Together, Christina and Milana remind us that strength knows no bounds and that hope can shine through even in the darkest of times,’’ said Mayor Woodfin said in a statement from the press release. “Their artwork isn’t just on canvas or paper. Their works are masterpieces that showcase vibrant dreams full of courage and hope.’’
The exhibit will be on display until mid-April. More on the StrongHer art exhibit can be found here. To read the profiles of the 2024 StrongHer honorees, click here.
[a1]Does this paragraph seem out of place? I put it there to help introduce the quote underneath since she refers to the book.
