Backdrop is a new art series presented by Village Players at 8 North Center for the Arts. Timed to coincide with each of our main stage productions, Backdrop showcases the work of talented local artists whose visual art draws inspiration from the themes, stories, and moods of the theatre season. Exhibited on-site in the Judith M. Sarakatsannis Gallery, each show invites audiences to experience a dynamic conversation between performance and visual expression—celebrating the rich creativity of our community.
Allyson Burke Coffren
Focused on “gentle giants,” Allyson Burke Coffren’s whimsical-yet-majestic portraits of cows and horses offer painterly glimpses into the souls of these massive creatures. Beginning with a longhorn painting for her father 10 years ago, Coffren awakened a love and appreciation for
bovinae that has grown and endured.
“Their complex nature is fascinating. A cow can be a cow, or (it can) transform into an ethereal beast.” Through color, composition, and backgrounds drawn from photography and her own imagination, Coffren invites viewers to experience this interesting dichotomy—in the subjects as well as within ourselves.
A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, and currently employed by University of Cincinnati DAAP Galleries, Coffren was raised in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and lives there today.
Carol S. Mohamed
Carol S. Mohamed is a classically trained artist and alumna of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. For more than 16 years, she has been represented by Art Beyond Boundaries and has exhibited her work throughout the Cincinnati area.
Rooted in classical technique but guided by an experimental spirit, Mohamed’s work reflects her enduring commitment to storytelling through the visual arts. She explores personal and cultural narratives through a deeply introspective—and primarily abstract—lens.
In recent years, her practice has been profoundly shaped by personal loss—transforming her work into windows of memory, grief, and resilience. Through layered textures, intentional form, and quiet complexity, she transforms sorrow into something both beautiful and tangible.
