Extraordinary Women: Images of Courage, Endurance, and Defiance was a powerful photojournalism exhibition displayed at Chester Cathedral between Friday 10 June and Monday 11 July 2022. It showcased the career of the then late award-winning photojournalist Tom Stoddart and featured images from a recently-published book of the same name.
Situated in the large South Transept of Chester Cathedral, the exhibition consisted of over fifty high quality images from Stoddart's career portraying the iron will of women in intense, often devastating, situations. Shot entirely in black and white, the images captured the simple humanity of each subject whilst highlighting the daring, brave, ingenious quality that come to the surface when women are in difficult situations. It was an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the historic and lived experiences of women the world over.
Chester Cathedral partnered with Chester Women's Aid (CWA) for this exhibition. CWA had a regular space in the South Transept throughout the exhibition showing to share the excellent work they do in directly supporting those suffering from domestic abuse and raising awareness of domestic abuse in Chester and Cheshire.
Extraordinary Women: Images of Courage, Endurance, and Defiance was generously sponsored by The King's School, Chester.