Come Hither, Stare Awhile by DESIREE SMITH-DAUGHETY
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riends of Mitzi Bernard raise nary an eyebrow when invited over to help cut out naked women. Over glasses of wine and old issues of Playboy magazine, they form a modern-day women’s circle. In the age of #MeToo and the upcoming hundredth anniversary of US women’s right to vote, Bernard finds that the conversation over how women are viewed isn’t yet over. “I’m a product of the seventies and equal rights—it comes out in my art,” says Bernard. “I take a picture that society might perceive or judge in one way
and incorporate it into another piece of art to tell the story of strength, power, and lovability. My idea is to find beauty and strength in places we may have ‘judged’ differently, whether it be my different kind of art, or our judgments of others, particularly women.” Currently a chief of staff for a legislator in Maryland state government, Bernard recently took a year off to develop her art and discover her artistic voice. Previously, she served for 27 years as executive director for Bay Community Support Services, a nonprofit that she started.
Miss Conception by Mitzi Bernard. Collage on canvas.
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