Heather Bird Harris
Autonomy
earth pigments and synthetic color
2022
Heather ‘Bird’ Harris (b. 1987) is an artist, educator, and activist working in Atlanta and New Orleans. Her work explores the throughlines between land history and environmental crises, as well as mothering in the face of climate change. Her practice includes painting and social practice, which both engage site-specific earth pigments as catalysts for connection to historical narratives, environmental risks, and collective action.
Harris received her B.S. in art history and studio art from Skidmore College in 2009 and master’s degree in education leadership from Columbia University in 2013. Over the past 15 years, Harris has been a middle school principal, written anti-racist history curriculum, and has worked with school leaders across the South to implement equitable learning practices and empowering history education. Recent and upcoming exhibitions include Art Fields 2023, Harris’s 2022 solo exhibition Where the Water Goes as part of the Arts New Orleans SALON Residency, and her community art series “Land Memory” with Science Gallery Atlanta in collaboration with Emory University in May 2023.
