Spotlight Upon Unsung Heroes:

Sherry Ann Brackens Byrd,

African American Improvisional Folk Artist

By Wilbur Thirkield Titus

August 2007

Come accompany me as we follow our hero on her journey from an humble beginning 
to international acclaim. That is just what our hero, Mrs. Sherry Ann Brackens
Byrd has done. Her achievement as an artist is phenomenal and quite laudable!

Sherry’s resume’ describes her as being a resident of Teague, Texas, whose 
occupation is "wife/mother/artist." She is the stay-at-home wife of Curtis Byrd,
Sr., mother of eight children, and a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

She assists her husband with his salvage business, participates in religious
activities, and in creating artistic quilts. She is writing the history of her
family, many members of which are quilters.

Sherry, the daughter of Connie and LaVerne Henry Brackens, is a native of
Fairfield, Texas, where she worked after school, following her father’s death, 
and graduated with honors from Dogan High School.

She received a BA Degree with a major in History and a minor in Art from Sam 
Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. In 1972,

Quoting her resume. "Her approach to Art is a free , semi-structured style 
that incorporates the profuse of primary colors, ( reds, yellows, blues, 
greens, etc., plus a generous helping of black). Her works are for those who 
are not faint of heart when it comes to high decibels , electric, bold colors,
and the unexpected or syncopated results of improvisation. The visual impact 
of her creations upon the naked eye is equal to the impact that jazz has upon 
the ear."

Her accolades, many of which are from entities based in Europe,

are far too numerous to list here. Nevertheless, a few are listed below:

* Who Is Who Among American College Students/SHSHU/1972

* Champaign, Sherry’s improvised quilt was chosen as one of 50 ethnic images 
world wide to grace the tailfins of over 300 Boeing Jets in British Airway’s, 
new "World Image" make-over, in 1997.

* Nominated as an INTERNATIONAL PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2001. By the Editorial
and Advisory Board of the International Biographical Centre based in Cambridge,
England.

* Who Is Who In Hunter And Titus Families

* 21st. Century Award for Achievement, by International Business Center. 
Cambridge, England, in 2000.

In addition to her many citations and awards, her creations have been exhibited
in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D. C., and in numerous sites in Texas,
California, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Arkansas, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, 
Arizona, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia,
and sites abroad.

 

The Curtis Byrd, Sr. Family

[SEE PICTURE]
 

Back row L-R: Curtis Byrd Jr., Catherine Rebecca Byrd, Baralalesa D. Byrd, Leah Rosalyn Byrd, Miriam Otra Hija Byrd, Middle row: Curtis Byrd Sr., Sherry A. Byrd, Front row: Sarah E. Byrd, Cephas Byrd, and Ornam Byrd.

 
Now that you have met this modest, talented, Christian wife and mother, don’t 
you respect and admire her.?

For additional see WHO IS WHO IN HUNTER & TITUS fAMILIES, found in the 
Fairfield public library or the AMHTCC Cultural Center, Fairfield, Texas.