“This project is really exciting,” says Jenny Ye ’13, president of the Institute of Politics. “At Harvard we see portraits everywhere, and for women it’s encouraging to see that leadership is a lot more diverse than what’s hanging on the walls.”

Perhaps the most poignant product of this new portraiture is an oil painting of former professor Edith M. Stokey, who passed away this past January. Considered the “founding mother” of HKS, Stokey was a trailblazer for women at the Kennedy School and left behind a legacy of compassion and public service.

Her portrait, unveiled in 2008, now hands outside the office of the Dean.

“Portraits should try to say something inspiring to future generations,” says Coit. “That’s the point of all of this, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish through art.”

­—Staff writer Ethan G. Loewi can be reached at ethanloewi@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following corrections:

CORRECTION: March 8

An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Nicole Carter Quinn as a former student of Jane J. Mansbridge. In fact, Quinn has not taken a class taught by Mansbridge.

CORRECTION: March 9

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the portrait of Ida B. Wells installed in the Fainsod Room at the Kennedy School cost $10,000. In fact, it cost $20,000.