Delaware artist Theresa Walton created 169 watercolour portraits for the state’s annual Women’s Hall of Fame Art Exhibition, presented in partnership with the University of Delaware.
The exhibition used portraiture to create a visual record of women recognised for long-term contributions to Delaware across public service, education, science, advocacy and other fields.
A collective portrait of achievement
The Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1981 to recognise women whose work had a significant and lasting impact on the state.
Walton’s series translated that institutional history into individual faces, bringing different generations and professions together through a consistent medium.
Among the 2023 honourees represented were Patricia Dailey Lewis, Bonnie Meszaros, Paulette Sullivan Moore, Leslie Newman and Lynn Snyder-Mackler.
Their careers ranged from law and support for victims of domestic violence to economics education, nonprofit leadership, physical therapy and sports-medicine research.
Portraiture as public memory
Displayed at the University of Delaware, the 169 watercolours turned a list of names and biographies into a physical exhibition.
The format gave equal visual presence to women whose achievements came from very different areas of civic and professional life.
By presenting the portraits together, the exhibition used painting as a form of public memory, making the history of the Hall of Fame visible through a large, cumulative body of work.