Women in Art Exhibit: Protect Her Peace by Charlene Johnson

The YWCA Edmonton is proud to partner with the Miller Gallery Peck Visual Art Program to present the Women in Art series. Hosted in our office, these exhibitions are open to the public on select dates and shine a spotlight on women’s artistic voices. This new series draws curatorial inspiration from YWCA Edmonton’s pillars of equity, opportunity, and choice, celebrating creativity that reflects and advances these values in our community.

Protect Her Peace is a deeply personal collection from Johnson that reflects the vulnerability she carried since childhood as a Black woman growing up in Edmonton, Alberta. Her work in this series explores themes of racial microaggressions, expectations and societal messages that have led to feelings of inadequacy. Reclaiming her power with the knowledge that she is enough, this series is a visual sanctuary — an invitation for Black women to escape judgement, assumptions and expectations, and step into a world of peace and serenity, if only for a moment.