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Artist Christina Johnson is just one of more than 100 local women who’ve been honored through the StrongHER campaign since Mayor Randall Woodfin launched it in 2019.And this year all of those women are highlighted in a book available at the downtown Birmingham Public Library and an art exhibit on the second floor of Birmingham City Hall. “This piece I actually created five years ago, and it took me a year to create this piece. This one is a reflection of myself in many ways, Johnson said.Johnson explained one of the pieces, entitled “Many Moving Pieces,” is a reflection of herself.”Youll see it says a mother’s heart, many moving pieces. It was a year of literally many moving pieces. So, this one is very close to my heart, Johnson said.Its among several other striking depictions capturing the heart and soul of every woman, everywhere.”We have many moving pieces as women. We have many layers. We are wearing many hats, Johnson said. And I wanted to represent that in the works, but I also wanted to represent hope. And our growth, our strength, just the strength that there is within us as women.Johnson has 20 pieces featured in the StrongHER exhibit.Each of them reflects the rich and complex experiences of the various Birmingham women who’ve been honored since 2019. And some were especially inspired by the women honored in the 2024 StrongHER class.”When I was invited to be a part of StrongHER, reading the stories of who all the women just deeply inspired me. They’re all different, she said. Every woman has a different story, but it really aligned with my journey in my work. And so, there are three pieces that I created specifically for this exhibit, and I wanted to represent women as a whole.The exhibit was unveiled on March 8, marking International Women’s Day.”I paint with acrylic. So, I would be considered a mixed media artist because I paint with acrylic, she said. But I also incorporate fabrics and papers and jewels and all kinds of things into my paintings. And so it’s many different mediums that I’m mixing together.A self-taught artist, Johnson has been creative all her life but says she didn’t get into painting until about 10 years ago while working as a preschool teacher.And after about five years of working in the preschool, I decided to try to start pursuing my art on a more serious level, Johnson said.Johnson comes to the Magic City from Portland, Oregon. She’s married to a pilot, has two adult children and a teenager. But she carves out time in her busy schedule to refine her art, serving as an artist in residence at Railroad Park. “I think what truly inspires me is just people. I like to connect to people’s souls. I want to get past the surface and understand what’s happening in your heart. It’s important to me,” Johnson said. I am drawn to women, and I think that if there’s any way that I can encourage other women through my journey and through my work, through my life, that’s kind of how I’ve tried to live my life.Her artistry is living proof Birmingham is stronger because of the success and sacrifices of women.