Art Institute: Virtual Conversation: Portraits of Women, Created by Women

Throughout the history of art, women have most often been depicted by male artists. Inspired by Amy Sherald’s powerful, yet intimate, portrait of Michelle Obama, this participatory program led by Ishita Dharap encounters representations of women created by women.

On loan from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the official portrait of Michelle Obama is on view this summer in The Obama Portraits.

Ishita Dharap is an artist and art educator. She has worked with audiences across ages in formal and informal learning environments in India and the US. Dharap’s interdisciplinary practice employs reflection, imagination, and play, often for the purpose of storytelling. She has a background in art, design, and experiential education, and received an MA in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020. She currently works as an education coordinator at the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.