WORCESTER — The second floor of city hall is adorned with posters of women who shattered the glass ceiling of Worcester’s political scene.

The posters are part of an exhibit called “Wonder Women of Worcester: Celebrating Women in Worcester Who Have Eliminated Barriers and Made a Difference.”

The exhibit was made possible by the Worcester Cultural Coalition’s Worcester Windows program, the Jean McDonough Arts Center, the City of Worcester Advisory Committee on the Status of Women and ArtReach, a non-profit organization that provides affordable art classes in order to make the arts more accessible to the area’s youth and at-risk communities. 

Nine women are featured in the exhibit, including: Barbara Kohin, Barbara Sinnott, Elizabeth Price, Konstantina Lukes, Maritza Cruz, Mary Scano, Rev. Dr. Sarai Rivera, Sara Robertson, Stacey Luster. The exhibit also features more than a hundred portraits of everyday “wonder women of Worcester” drawn by artists between the ages of 5-17.

“Win or lose, each of these women have demonstrated grit and determination and the courage to put themselves in the public arena,” Tracey Whitney, a committeewoman on the Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, said in a statement.

Here’s a look at each one:

Barbara Kohin (1932 – 2014): In 1973, three women were elected to City Council for the first time, Krohin was among them. In addition to her public service work, Krohin – who had a PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland – worked as a physics instructor at Worcester State College and Clark University.

In a 2013 interview with Worcester Women’s Oral History Project, Krohin said getting into academia in the late 60s as a woman was no easy feat.

“When I first came to Worcester it was [challenging]. The colleges didn’t hire women. I sent my resume to WPI, Holy Cross, Assumption. I mean Clark was accepting women, but my husband already worked there so that didn’t work. I sent my resumes around and they didn’t even answer,” Krohin recalled. 

Barbara Sinnott (1934-2014): joining Kohin, Sinnott was one of the first three women elected to Worcester’s City Council. All were elected at the same time in 1973. She was vice chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, and she was the president of the Better Business Bureau for 15 years.

Elizabeth Price (Died 1992): In 1973, Price became the first African American woman to serve on the School Committee. She then went on to co-found the Prospect House, which provides healthcare and amenities to the homeless.

Konstantina Lukes (1941 – present): In 2007, Lukes was the first woman to be popularly elected as Worcester’s mayor. She served as mayor until 2010. 

Maritza Cruz: Cruz is the first Borikua/Puerto Rican/Latina woman candidate for public office in Worcester. She ran for City Council District 4 in 1997 and City Council-at-Large in 2007. She currently works as the director of racial and gender equity at YMCA Central Massachusetts.

Mary Scano: joining Kohin and Sinnott, Scano was one of the first three women elected to Worcester’s City Council. All were elected at the same time in 1973.

Rev. Dr. Sarai Rivera: Rivera was the first Latin woman elected into municipal government. She was elected as a city councilor for district 4 in 2011. She’s presently serving 5th term.

Sara Robertson (1934-present): Robertson was the first woman to serve as Worcester’s mayor (she was elected by the City Council because Worcester was a weak-mayor form of government at the time). She served from 1982-1983.

Stacey Luster: Luster was the first African American woman to be elected to Worcester City Council, serving from 1997-2000. 

The exhibit launched on Oct. 7 and will continue into the winter.