Educating this generation, and inspiring the next. Using portrait art to create inclusive-feeling workspaces. That's the work of Great Women Productions, and The Great Women Portrait Project.

The woman-led, sole proprietorship based in Halifax Nova Scotia creates portraits and art installations that reflect the female face of innovation.

"Great Women portraits can  broaden our awareness of what 'women's work' really means," says artist Jo Napier, creator/producer of The Great Women Portrait Project.

"If we knew the powerful paths women have forged in traditionally male-dominated domains, girls and women could have a sense of ownership in these areas of work and study and training - and boys and men would see the power and value of having women in the mix; of embracing inclusion, diversity and gender equality." 

Behavioural science shows the simple act of hanging these kinds of portraits in public and professional spaces can shift mindsets in ways that training courses and DEI workshops won't.

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The Great Women Portrait Project

Why Invite Great Women Into The Boardroom? The Business Case for Great Women Art

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As a former national newspaper columnist, documentary writer/producer and technology author, Jo had interviewed the Internet’s seminal thinkers and pioneers for a PBS series, two PBS documentaries, and a book, Technology With Curves (Harper Collins).  

"I kept wondering: where are the women's stories? How is our increasingly digital world being influenced by women, too?"

Her research - and a growing sense of responsibility to show her daughter the faces and stories of Great Women - led to her first collection of large-scale, contemporary portraits. The collection was acquired by The Royal Bank for their national art collection. Today, Napier creates Great Women portraits - for clients like Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Lockheed Martin Canada, Women in Nuclear (Canada) and community and business leaders - that reflect female pioneers, primarily in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), finance and medicine.

In 2023, she launched The Great Women Portrait Project, to encourage  leaders in diverse industries to use portrait art to advocate for women, educate this generation and inspire the next. 

More about:

The Great Women Portrait Project