About this project
I am a 72 year-old folk artist and recently completed the first revised draft of my autobiography. I did not seriously undertake art until after I turned 65. The public reception to my art has been both gratifying and inspirational. However I feel I still have a great deal to offer not just in art but the story of my life.
Outside of our small section of the agricultural south, where I was raised, conditions had not changed much since the end of the Civil War. Tenant farmers and black farm families were practically owned by the family plantations where they worked. Escape from this bonded servitude was exactly that. Many families were always in debt to the plantation store or the owner. My family was unique in that my grandparents family owned their own land, BUT, it did not make us exempt from conditions of those around us.
My struggles to advance in a world over which I felt I had little control were against forces of bigotry, sexual discrimination and harassment. My journey to overcome these forces, while greater that survival, should assist those who struggle today with the more refined class warfare.
Not only have I survived, I have blossomed as an artist with an understanding of my responsibility to help others who continue in bondage.
In the fall of 2011 I received my first true recognition on a broader stage for my artwork. I received one of the major awards at the Red River Revel and sold my first large painting.
Now I want to refine my written autobiography, publish it for others to read and share my message to benefit others. The working title is: The Courage to Rise Again – A Journey from Tears to Testimony
The funds raised will be allocated as follows:
$1,000 Professional editor, layout, photography and finalize manuscript.
$2,000 Printing fee for first run of books
$1,000 Develop, design, print Postcards, Posters and Artwork for Book, website and other marketing materials with shipping and shipping supplies.
FAQ
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$796
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on February 18.
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Email Newsletter – Newsletter contains announcements of shows, and early availability to new art.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
An autographed postcard from a limited series that will be published with the book release. This postcard will be shipped in a protective envelope to secure it arrives in good condition. Donor will be added to email newsletter group.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
An autographed poster from a limited series that will be published with the book release. This poster will be shipped in a protective mailer to secure it arrives in good condition. Donor will be added to email newsletter group.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
An autographed postcard, autographed poster and autographed copy of the book from a limited series that will be published with the book release. These will be shipped in a protective mailer to secure it arrives in good condition. Donor will be added to email newsletter group.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
A small piece of original art, an autographed postcard, autographed poster and autographed copy of the book from a limited series that will be published with the book release. These will be shipped in a protective mailer to secure it arrives in good condition. Donor will be added to email newsletter group.
Project By
Connected as Bertha Harris
Most people who meet me think of me as “Bertha Harris, folk painter.” But I only started painting when I as was what some people called retired. The story I want to tell the world is how I survived to be able to paint. The fact that I’m here today is a story of survival and determination that I would not continue to be a victim. And now I’m ready to tell that story that it may help others.
I had been ripped apart by this thing that grew inside me. It was partially in the writing of my story that I feel free today to express all of my art. My fight continues inside of me as I see others who confront the evil that I did. Evil is waiting for us just beyond your heartache. It wants to take advantage of you every time you think you no longer have the strength to fight. It’s the thing I call the Beast.
There was a time when it took over my life and took me to the darkest place that I’ve ever imagined existed. But, as I write this I cast that darkness into the light of day.
I will no longer give this thing power over my life. I will be strong, and I am becoming stronger as I write. I suffered the loss of my mother, and the accidental drowning of my seventeen-year-old daughter. I’ve endured the battery by a former husband. But I’m still here to face the sunrise of another day.
Now I want to complete the story of how I come to be an artist today. I feel this story will further unburden my heart and allow me to help others who carry a similar burden. The working title of my autobiography is: The Courage to Rise Again – A Journey from Tears to Testimony
