Brushstrokes for Change is a brief biography of Canadian artist and women's rights activist, Mary Ella Dignam and includes many the artists who have enjoyed the benefits of her accomplishments, in the twenty first century.

Born in 1857 in a small community she was a gifted visual artist, political activist and educator at a time in history where women were relegated to domestic roles. In spite of her enormous influence in Canadian Art and politics she remains unknown to most Canadians. Her legacy today, the Women's Art Association of Canada and the Dignam Gallery in Toronto, has hosted hundreds of artists and their work in the Dignam Gallery. Included in this book are over thirty diverse artists who have proudly exhibited in the Dignam as it moves ahead in the twenty first century.