These 'Hidden Figures' portraits profile brainy, badass women

Great art begets great art.

In Hidden Figures, Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine Johnson, a physicist and mathematician who, along with Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), helped the United States land on the moon. Their untold story is inspiring young artists, and a collection of their diverse, moving portraits of the characters is available exclusively on Mashable.

"This film and the story on which it's based, is so enticing because women of color are being portrayed as equals, if not greater, with their white male colleagues and supervisors," said Jamila Silvera, one of the featured artists. "It's also super intriguing to see this kind of story released during such an exposed time in the U.S. I think all humans with eyes and ears (and appropriate age-ratings) should experience it as it might have a little lesson for us all."

Silvera is one of six featured artists on the project, which also includes John Manning, Abhishek Bhasin, Johnny Tarajuso, Stella Blu and Lili Lopez.

"I was solely raised with strong intelligent women, who lived unapologetically and to the tips of their toes. It was just my reality," added Silvera, a singer-songwriter from the Washington, D.C. area. "I hope many young ladies, like myself, walk away with that same feeling upon watching this film. It's marvelous to look on a screen and see people that look like you, celebrated for being brilliant, strong, gifted and happen to be brown."

CARD ID: 130827

Hidden Figures will hit theaters December 25, 2016.