On Oct. 8, a line full of students and community members could be seen weaving through Windgate Visual Art East as people lined up for graphic design and photography major Jessica Lemos' senior gallery. The gallery, which ran until Oct. 25, was titled “Ezer.” Exploring girlhood, sexism and connection, Lemos’ gallery was filled with multiple art forms, including photography and digital media, tying it all together with swaths of fabric that led onlookers through the space.
Lemos started planning her senior gallery in the spring of her sophomore year, and while she knew she wanted to do it on an aspect of womanhood, she still wanted to narrow it down.
“Everyone who knows me knows how much I love women and I have always been very passionate about social justice in that aspect,” Lemos said. “When I was toiling over how to narrow it down, I wanted to focus mostly on my personal journey, but I hope a lot of it is still relatable to people.”
As Lemos dove into her chosen topic, she not only examined how the world sees women, but how the Bible describes them as well. This is how she came up with the title “Ezer.”
“I always had a strong sense of who I thought women should be in the church and in leadership, but I could never find the right words to say it,” Lemos said. “In my New Testament class freshman year, I learned about the word ‘ezer,’ and it was like the last puzzle piece that made total sense to me.”
Ezer is a Hebrew word meaning to rescue or to save. God calls woman “helper” in Genesis 2:18, and the word is also later applied to God Himself in Psalm 121:1-2. Throughout the Old Testament ezer is used over 16 times to describe God and is used not only in relation to God’s saving nature, but also in terms of Him being a warrior. For Lemos, seeing how God aligns himself with women from the moment of creation through this word was eye-opening.
The significance of this meaning was felt beyond Lemos’ initial understanding of the word though. Students and community members alike fell silent as they entered Lemos’ gallery and tried to take it all in.
“I was in awe because it was very professional and everything was intentional … the more that I looked at it I [thought] ‘Oh like there’s more meaning behind this,” senior Allie Lawler, one of Lemos’ models, said. “It felt great just seeing all these girls, they seemed to be really moved by it. And I wasn’t expecting it to be so quiet in the gallery, and I don’t think Jess was either. She was like ‘you can talk, people can talk,’ but it was just very silent because I think just everyone was taking it in.”
While Lemos touched on specific aspects of her childhood, she also took time to open up her gallery to common experiences felt by women. She touched on the wonders of girlhood, before diving into the darker side that is the commonality of sexual abuse. Lemos used photos of her models combined with explicit comments that people have left on social media posts to show the reality of what many women face whenever they go online.
“I grew up surrounded by very strong female role models. I was homeschooled until junior high and so I never had a thought in my head that women were less than men or that that should be a thought in someone’s mind. I experienced that view through games and shows and media and ads, but I never fully understood it,” Lemos said.
As Lemos grew older, however, she had to wrestle with this idea as she saw how her friends were hurt by people who were supposed to love them. While everyone has had their own unique experiences learning where they belong within the world, the gallery was still relatable for many.
“I think it was moving to be a part of it because, you know as a girl myself, I’ve experienced myself some difficult things, and I was just honored to get to be a part of something so important,” Lawler said.
In Lemos’ opening speech, she also spoke on what she wanted people to walk away with.
“I hope that when there feels like there's a lot to overcome, I hope you learned something tonight about yourself, about your Hebrew, about your faith, and I hope that can change something for you like it did for me when a lot can feel really dark,” Lemos said.
Lemos’ gallery was a beautiful tribute to girlhood and what it means to be a woman in today’s world. In order to honor this, Lemos invited all the girls on campus to a “girl’s night” to close the gallery, rife with nail polish, face masks, temporary tattoos and crafts. She also asked for doll donations throughout the run of the gallery to donate to children in need.
The next gallery in Windgate Visual Art East is senior art and illustration major Grace Stromberg’s entitled “Buried Things.” It will run Oct. 29 - Nov. 14.
Featured photo is "In My Dreams (1)" by Jessica Lemos 2026.
