4 soon-to-be famous female Birmingham-based​ artists you need to know now

A city raw with talent, Birmingham is bursting with young female artists who are making an impact in the community with their work. Being involved in the art community myself, I have seen first hand how impactful and meaningful the work done by these local women is.  

Without further ado, here is a mini guide to the women up and coming on the Birmingham art scene. So, join me in admiring their work and their crazy talent.

Emily Rice

Meet Emily Rice, a multidisciplinary artist who reflects on personal stories of marginalized communities while offering the intimate perspective of a local.

What she creates: She celebrates the neighborhood diversity and unique populations of Birmingham with art that is whimsical and reflective.  Her work 99 Neighborhoods is a physical representation of the city and its’ 99 neighborhoods correspond in scale and character to each area of the city.  

Wooden houses that once belonged to an antique toy collection oppose houses made of clay and iron ore, showing materials that are easily eroded to others that are more durable.  Her idea behind the project was to connect the city through sculpture, celebrate the history surrounding Birmingham and ignite the conversation towards a unified city.  

Emily shows her work at Ground Floor Contemporary Gallery and can also be found on Instagram @ricelikethefood or on her website.  

Claire Godbee

Meet Artist Claire Godbee, she creates colorful narratives around womanhood to represent freedom, acceptance, courage and unity.  

What she creates: “My everyday life, experiences, and emotions intertwine and inspire my art. My recent work involves the female form, often reoccurring forms, which visually speak for my reflections around self-discovery.”

Claire Godbee

Her work has been exhibited in Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts, Birmingham Public Library Gallery, the Grand Bohemian Gallery, and other galleries in the Southeast. Her Instagram @clairegodbee and her website.

Stephanie Davis

Meet Stephanie Davis, Senior Art Director at Good Grit Magazine. She recently started an apparel and jewelry company to further explore her artistic side – Youthquake.  

What she creates: A line of groovy handmade clay jewelry and vintage clothes inspired by her love of the 60s and 70s.  Stephanie started the company with the vision of being eco-friendly and keeping clothes out of landfills.  

You can purchase her beautiful designs on @youthquake_studio on Instagram or at her Etsy shop.

Claire LeSar

Who is she? Well, this might be awkward… This one is about me. Since we are talking about artists, I guess it doesn’t hurt to plug myself. I am an art student in my final year at Birmingham-Southern College, a multimedia artist at Ground Floor Contemporary Gallery, and an intern here at Bham Now writing about –you guessed it— art! 

What I create: I love experimenting with different mediums and exploring topics surrounding studies of people. Recently, I have been interested in highlighting the diversity of people and celebrating their differences through portraiture.  I asked the community to share stories and pictures of people they thought should be represented and created portraits based on those responses.   

Where you can find her (my) work: I show at Ground Floor Contemporary Gallery, my Instagram is @c_lesart and website.

Who did I miss? Tag us on social @bhamnow and let us know!