About
Emmie Sherertz
Emmie Sherertz was born and raised in the Deep South, in Northwest Alabama. She attributes her experiences with Southern beautification rituals as the influential spark guiding her dive into the exploration of a woman’s notion of self. Emmie received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Auburn University. At Auburn, her involvement with her sorority further pushed her interest in the idea of femininity, along with habits that encourage a particular idea of beauty. She believes beautification rituals often disregard other aspects of self-identity crucial in defining oneself.
​Before graduate school, Emmie worked at a job that exposed her to women searching for impossible beauty ideals. This experience led her to further explore what influences the notion of beauty. Emmie believes we often see ourselves through the lens of others, which complicates our concept of self. She also believes that an unfortunate aspect of our society leans heavily on the physical, overlooking other essential aspects of defining one’s notion of self.
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During her time at the University of Alabama, Emmie received a Master of Arts degree. While continuing her focus on women, their bodies, and identities, she used different materials to explore these elements. At graduate school, she constructed large abstract installations mirroring the interior visceral self. This is a crucial part of life, but often ignored due to the belief it is grotesque. Jumping away from two-dimensional surfaces, Emmie passionately explored how forms, and the space around these forms, could help her further explore identity within the physical self.
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​After graduation, Emmie spent four years in Northern California, where she was able to diversify her encounters with women of all ages and ethnicities. Again, continuing with her interest in self-actualization and the body, Emmie credits this time with a growth of ideas, expanding beyond the boundaries and limitations she found constricting while living in the South.
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Drawn back to the Deep South for military service, her family relocated to Columbus, Mississippi. For twelve years she developed close personal friendships with many women within the small community. These close connections allowed her to continue her theme of women and their relationships with their minds and bodies and how those relationships can lead to self-identification. Emmie began to create blind contour paintings that were drawn from the live nude model. Emmie wanted to capture the movement of the body and not focus on a preconceived notion of what the body should look like. Through her blind contour drawings, Emmie offers women the opportunity to see themselves beyond the physical form. Although the physical form is an important part of her work it is just the groundwork, the first step in creating a fuller picture of the woman.
Currently Emmie lives and works outside Atlanta, in Marietta, GA. She continues to explore womanhood, and the relationships women have with their minds and bodies and how those relationships inform their notions of self.