The Grace Project

Charise Isis: Founder, photographer, and executive director of the Grace Project.

 

Widely exhibited and published, Charise’s work often explores themes of self esteem and body image issues in an attempt to help shift and expand the narrow and impossible beauty standards that exist within our contemporary culture.

Over a decade ago Charise began “The Grace Project”, a series of empowering portraits that capture the courage, beauty and grace of those who have had mastectomy as a result of breast cancer. Since the inception of project, she has created over 800 portraits of breast cancer survivor/thrivers.  Her initial goal was to photograph 800 breast cancer portraits, the approximate number of new breast cancer diagnosis in the United States every day. In October of 2023 Charise reached that lofty goal and is now currently working on finding a location that that has the potential to exhibit 800 large scale portraits together, which will illuminate the enormous impact that breast cancer has every day in the USA.

Meanwhile Charise continues to photograph breast cancer patients throughout the country, traveling and working with non-profit groups and retreats to give breast cancer patients the transformative and healing experience of revealing their scars to her camera.

Her work has been widely exhibited both nationally, and internationally. Her exhibitions include solo shows at esteemed galleries such as the Michael Mazzeo Gallery (NYC); The Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA); The Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock NY; Millar Gallery, Cincinnati; John C. Doyle & Revealed Gallery, Charleston SC; The Idea Garden Gallery, Kingston NY and at the National Women’s Memorial Museum in Arlington Virginia, and the Michael DeBakey Clinic at the Houston VAMC.

Charise’s work has been featured in many respected publications throughout the world. Publications include Ms Magazine, Photography Quarterly Magazine, NY; Profifoto Magazine, Germany; NY Arts Magazine; Elle; The Huffington Post; Refinery 29; Der Speigal and The Daily mail.

Her work is included in numerous public and private collections including those of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY, Houston VAMC and the Photographers Network Collection, Seigen, Germany.

Charise was recently awarded The NYFA/NYSCA fellowship for photography; The Photo Lucida Top 50 fine art photographers; “Flat Visibility Award” by Flat Retreat; The Hudson Valley Women in business award; and most recently the Garrison Art Center jurors award.

Charise is occasionally available for commissioned work.