By: Lillie Cardenas

On March 12, the Multicultural Center showcased a gallery of stories. Lined wall to wall with photos of women, the HER gallery invited students to view visual celebration of identity, culture and confidence. 

Created as part of Women’s History Month, the gallery was focused on empowerment through visibility. For Nadia Walton, a cultural programming coordinator at the Multicultural Center, the story behind HER was deeply personal and purposeful. 

The gallery was created to highlight students for Women’s History Month and was centered on empowerment by visibility. For Nadia Walton, cultural programming coordinator at the MC, the idea behind HER was international and personal.

“HER just came about because when you say, like, ‘I’m her,’ this is me. I’m she,” Walton said. “It shows your identity, it shows your beauty. We have different shades of beauty as women, and I think that’s what HER means.”

Walton has had her role for about a year and organizes monthly cultural programming at the MC. For March, she said she wanted to create something that not just celebrated women, but also reflected the strength of their stories. 

She said she drew inspiration from the historical significance of lipstick as a symbol of identity and power. Walton wanted the gallery to demonstrate the idea that beauty is not just about aesthetics, but it is also tied to expression and confidence.

“Back in Western civilizations, a lot of women wore lipstick to create identity, to create power,” Walton said. “It wasn’t about beauty at the time, it was about the power that they had because they couldn’t do certain things.”

That sense of power was prominent throughout the gallery. It featured bold portraits featuring women of different backgrounds. Some emphasized individuality, focusing on one face, while others highlighted connection, focusing on a group of women. 

Fatima Nazif, a junior biomedical engineering major and a participant of the gallery, said being involved in the gallery was unexpected and meaningful. She was invited to join the Women’s History Month project, which eventually led her to being the cover of the exhibition. 

“It was actually a surprise that I was selected to be on the cover,” Nazif said. “So it was really a surreal moment. I just felt appreciated […] it just showed that I’m capable of being on the cover of something.”

Nasif is also the president of Students Advocating for Stronger Sisterhood (SAS), a student organization centered around building community and mentoring women on campus. The organization was recently reestablished after a hiatus and has already begun hosting events aimed at creating a supportive environment for students. 

That mission of representation and connection corresponds with the purpose of the HER gallery.

“I think it’s very important just to have any foundation for representation,” Nazif said. “Whether that’s women or people of color of just any ethnicity… this photoshoot was a great opportunity to bring women together of all colors and just celebrate us.”

The gallery also gave attendees the opportunity to understand each other. For Nasif, the experience of being in front of the camera and seeing others do the same highlighted diversity on campus.

“Just being able to see how people express themselves, I think that’s an amazing way to see our backgrounds and cultures,” she said. “Whether that’s in makeup, clothes or posing, you can convey an emotion and a story.”

The storytelling aspect of the gallery resonated with attendees as well. Freshmen Kylah Kemmings and Keon Smith said they came to the event to support their friends who were a part of the photoshoot, and they left with a deep appreciation for the gallery overall. 

“[The gallery] looks really beautiful,” Demmings said. “I had just come to support my friend, but this is a really great thing to see.”

Smith felt similarly and he said it was impactful seeing the final results of the photoshoot.

They said as they walked through the gallery, certain images stood out to them. Demmings pointed out the cover portrait, commenting on how the bold styling captured the theme of the exhibition.

“It just gives like women, like just straight women.” And I love that,” she said. 

For Smith, the group shots were especially meaningful.

“They’re showing sisterhood,” he said. “I really like that.”

That focus on unity and representation is especially significant given that the UofA is a predominantly white institution. Many of the women featured in the gallery are women of color, which added another layer of meaning to the event.

“I think it’s important to come see that we are out here,” Demmings said. “It’s important to be seen and know that we’re here.”

Smith added that representation reflects resilience, especially for people who have intersecting marginalized identities.

“It supports success from a  double minority perspective,” he said. “Overcoming challenge after challenge and still succeeding.” 

For Izzo Ahmed, a cultural programming coordinator at the MC, that layered representation is what makes the message of the gallery powerful. 

Ahmed emphasized that having spaces like this is crucial especially for identities that have been marginalized or overlooked.

“I think it’s important to center various identities, especially identities that in the past haven’t had space to be centered,” Ahmed said. “Women’s struggles have long been documented, and we want to continue that. It’s not history, it’s her-story.”