LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Shelbyville special education teacher turned to art to help fund her classroom with supplies. A year later, Shakia Harris is celebrating the opening of her own special art exhibit in Smoketown.
An artist, educator, and advocate, Harris channeled her passions into her exhibit "Feel My Words," which is now open to the public at the Epping District Building.
Harris is showcasing 43 oil paintings that tell the stories of 20 women, their stories of trauma and healing.
"I hope people can come into this space and feel a little less alone, that they feel seen," she said. "I feel like there's a piece of everyone is each of the paintings. I also hope that when people find out more about how it came to be, they feel inspired and they feel a bit of light in the dark. It's possible - you just have to make it to the next day."
Harris said she wants to use her exhibit to encourage conversations of healing, saying that being on the other side of trauma herself, she feels compelled to challenge others to shift their perspectives and open themselves up to better understand their journeys.
"The collection itself is super impactful just because - given my history with trauma - it was just really important that I could be in a position to help other people heal and so that was super meaningful. Especially as I started getting more information about the women, I just felt a huge weight on my shoulders...I just wanted to do their stories justice," Harris said.
Harris started making art a year ago when she was a special education teachers, just trying to make money for classroom supplies.
"Sooner than later I had my supplies paid for and I was able to turn that into something bigger," she said.
Now, Harris is spreading the message that you can create your own destiny.
"I just want people to know that you don't have to have a big art organization or curator to do it yourself. You can do it yourself and it'll still be quality and make other people happy," she said.
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