Inspired by her observations and experiences after spending four months studying abroad at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, Israel, CIA student Alison Alsup’s work celebrates the diverse communities that reside there, as well as the beauty of the region’s natural landscape.

Alsup’s exhibition consists of 96 graphite portraits of the city’s residents, as well as five large-scale watercolor paintings that depict “the lush green gorges between red desert rock, and ancient ruins within the rolling Judaean Mountains.”

The Holy Land: A Semester in Jerusalem will open from 5:30 to 8pm Friday, September 9 in the Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery. The exhibition will remain on view through September 23.

Image: “Central Station, January 5th” by Alison Alsup; Graphite on paper