Running from Sept. 10 through Nov. 10, the “Her Art” exhibit in the Overture Center for the Arts features pieces created by 16 local female artists. The exhibit was curated by Shay Roy-Lewis.

Roy-Lewis is a junior at Middleton High School proud to be involved with Girl Scouts. She has been a Girl Scout for 10 years, and is currently on track to earn the highest-level award a Girl Scout is eligible to earn — the Gold Award.

The Gold Award takes the skills one has learned being a Girl Scout to create something that will have a lasting impact on the community. The award requires a minimum of 80 hours of work and what’s called a “Take Action” project.

The “Her Art” exhibit is Roy-Lewis’ way to make an impact on the greater Madison community, taking action to support local artists and spread awareness about mental health.

After earning the Girl Scout Silver and Bronze Awards, Roy-Lewis began coming up with ideas for her Gold Award that she was passionate about that would inspire others. Roy-Lewis has always loved drawing since she was very young, taking inspiration from Disney movies and cartoons she watched as a child.

When brainstorming her Take Action project, Roy-Lewis recalls her initial idea surrounding animals and thought about conducting a biodiversity survey on local parks. As she thought about it more, Roy-Lewis knew that art was what truly inspired her — it was how she could make a legitimate difference in her community.

When the idea struck, she knew it felt right to have it surrounding art, and by creating an art exhibit that would provide her with a way she could not only try something new but spread her message in a profound way.

“Since art has always been an aspect of my life, the idea came to me when I thought of something I am truly passionate about,” Roy-Lewis said.

The idea behind “Her Art” began to take shape when Roy-Lewis realized how prevalent of an issue teenage girls’ mental health is in her mind and those of her peers.

As a Girl Scout for most of her life, Roy-Lewis knew she wanted the exhibit to be designated for female artists. As a teenager herself, she then narrowed her exhibit down to female artists who were strictly teens.

The exhibit uses art as a means of empowering expression of one’s image without the use of physical appearance, according to the Her Art website. One of the main goals of the exhibit is to not only embrace positivity and self-confidence but also empower young women to celebrate their inner beauty, not just for how they look on the outside.

Roy-Lewis’s inspiration for art as a powerful tool of self-expression — telling the story of parts of oneself that are unable to be expressed physically — stems from her general love for art and exhibitions. As an art museum lover, her inspiration for the exhibit isn’t just from one specific artist or museum. As she reflected on the range of museums she has visited, she noted that the exhibit emulates a cumulation of all she has been able to see throughout her life.

Her exhibit combines paintings, digital media, mixed media, drawing and other mediums arranged on a curved wall in the Overture Center.

Artists featured in the exhibit are all female teenage artists who chose their preferred medium to showcase. The composition of the exhibit highlights the diverse size, shape and color of the pieces that all fit together and complement each other. The stories that accompany the pieces from each artist are unique in their own light, spreading mental health awareness in a positive way.

“The curated show combining artists with all different perspectives makes it all the more powerful,” Roy-Lewis said.

As an artist herself, she wasn’t tempted to showcase her own art, and her Take Action project was a chance to try something new that challenged her — and art curation did just that.

“I want every woman to feel empowered and inspired, and people to find in themselves to support young women who may be struggling with their mental health,” Roy-Lewis said.

Viewing the stories of artists shining through their art is an inspiring experience. It feels as though one is surrounded by like-minded people who all were connected despite not knowing each other.

Walking down the curved white hallway and reading the description that accompanies each piece is a way for one to get to know each artist’s unique story. As every piece of art is different than the one before, so are how emotions and mental health struggles that burn through the pieces. It is an experience that is unique to each person and emotions that are universal to all.