Her Golden Renaissance: Paintings & Poetry by Isabella Alsharif

Isabella Alsharif has a total of 6-8 large artworks. Each piece is a different portrait of a prominent woman (women) from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Each size is approximately 48 “x60”. In addition to the artwork, there will also be framed poetry Alsharif has written for each painting, connecting the viewer to the painting’s story or theme. They will be displayed and hanging next to each piece. Alsharif chose to paint the portraits large-scale and in acrylic paint for color richness and to express the magnitude of each woman’s attributes, using gold leaf as a symbol of honor and enlightenment to highlight the aspect of the divine within that illuminates outward.

Alsharif’s body of work embraces the concepts of acknowledging a diversity of women as creators of life and expressing this correlation of creation within mother nature. She wishes to convey the strength of the feminine experience that lives within all of us regardless of gender and reflect on stories of women’s ancestry, asking the viewer:

• “What does it mean to acknowledge femininity?”
• “What does it mean to be a creator of life?”
• “How has the divine feminine been represented throughout history?”
• “What are the stories of the women in my family?”

Isabella Alsharif’s artworks will be on display from January 27 to March 26, 2023, in person at the Artport Gallery or virtually in COCA’s Online Gallery.

This is one of many rotating exhibitions curated by the Council on Culture & Arts on behalf of the City of Tallahassee as part of the Art in Public Places program. The Artport Gallery is located in the Tallahassee International Airport, 3300 Capital Circle SW, and is open daily from 8:00 am until 11:30 pm. The first 30 minutes of parking is free for both the short-term parking lot.

For more information about COCA, this program, or to sign up to receive COCA’s email blasts, visit tallahasseearts.org. You’ll also find a schedule of other exhibitions and arts and culture programs throughout north Florida.