Louisa Bertman is a female illustrator digital activist, feminist, illustrator,[1] animator, GIF artist and filmmaker[2] living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3] As a visual narrative artist her work pushes illustrations,[4] gifs,[5] animated shorts,[6][7] and visual narratives in conjunction with technology and social media to advocate art for social awareness,[8] social justice[9] and social innovation. Her interest lies in creating art for advocacy. Whether it's GIFS focusing on Climate Awareness for The New York Times;[10] video game characters for The National Archives Rightfully Hers exhibition,[11] or animated shorts for NPR's WNYC Podcast series, Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice,[12] Bertman's works address a range of political and social justice issues including sex, race, age, and cultural identity. Bertman utilizes the power of visual narratives to enable activism and change. She is known for incorporating humor and extreme graphic imagery in her work. She is a female illustrator known for "untraditional portraitures of celebrities, influencers and personalities"[13]
Personal life
Louisa Bertman is from Newton, Massachusetts.[3] Her parents are Richard Bertman (sculptor,[14] author,[15] and founding partner of CBT Architects[16]), who has worked with her on occasion,[17] and Sandra Bertman PhD, Ft, author,[18][19] and thanatologist[20] who pioneered applied arts and humanities in clinical, academic and public settings;[21] founding director of University of Massachusetts Medical School's Medical Humanities program. Her two siblings include, David Bertman - a television and film director, editor,[22] and winner of the 2017 ACE Eddie Award[23] for the This Is Us[24] pilot episode and Jonathan Bertman, a physician, entrepreneur and founder of Amazing Charts and Afraid To Ask.[25]
Initially Bertman attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and was a professional modern dancer in New York City. She received her BFA in illustration from Parsons The New School for Design. She received an MFA in Visual Narrative from The School of Visual Arts.
Professional career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Bertman_einstein.jpg/180px-Bertman_einstein.jpg)
Embracing the intersection of illustration, technology and social media, Bertman is an illustrator,[26][27] GIF artist, animator,[28][29][30][31] filmmaker,[32][7] and producer[29] of creative nonfiction visual narratives. Her illustrations,[33] GIFs,[34] and animated shorts bring attention to social awareness and social justice.[8]
From MTA Posters for The LGBTQ Center, NYC[35] to Podcasts[36] for WNYC Caught the Lives of the Juvenile Justice; to female video game characters for the exhibition Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote for The National Archives, DC,[37] Bertman's work appears in magazines,[38] newspapers,[39] podcasts,[40] social networks, and film festivals[41] including The New York Times,[5] The Wall Street Journal,[42] The Village Voice, Los Angeles Times,[43][44] ESPN's The Undefeated,[45][46] GQ,[44] The Root,[47][48] and The Nation.[49]
She has created illustrations and animated GIFs of celebrities including Cardi B for The Nation;[50][51] Cecile Richards,[52] Valerie Jarrett,[53] London Breed[54] for LENNY; Cartalk's Tom and Ray Magliozzi for NPR's yearly calendar;[55] Michelle Obama for BUST Magazine;[56] Serena Williams for ESPN;[57] Jackie Robinson,[58] Ella Fitzgerald,[59] Denzel Washington, Chadwick Boseman and Rob Morgan for The Undefeated;[60] and nine power couples of social media for The New York Times.[61]
American Idiot producer Laurence Kaye (Hop Theatricals) commissioned a signed/numbered limited edition series of 10 prints in celebration of American Idiot's opening night on Broadway.[17]
Bertman is a 2017/18 AICAD Fellow recipient.[62]
Bertman illustrated and animated Elegy Ending with a Cell Door Closing[63] written and spoken by 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, Reginald Dwayne Betts.
Bertman is currently Assistant Professor of Illustration and Visual Narrative at the Lesley University College of Art + Design.[64]
References
- ^ "Episode 8: 'I Want Someone to Love Me Even for a Second' | Caught". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ "14th Annual LUNAFEST® Kicks Off Season with Award-winning Filmmaker, Jen McGowan". www.businesswire.com. 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ a b Hilliard, John (6 December 2009). "Cambridge illustrator looks for person's 'essence'". Cambridge Chronicle. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
- ^ "The Nation 2019 Wall Calendar". The Nation. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ a b Albeck-Ripka, Livia (21 February 2018). "How Six Americans Changed Their Minds About Global Warming". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Watch: An Elegy by Dwayne Betts | Caught | WNYC Studios". wnycstudios. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ a b "Tits | Berlin Feminist Film Week". berlinfeministfilmweek.com. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ a b "Watch: An Elegy by Dwayne Betts | Caught | WNYC Studios". wnycstudios. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "April 30-May 7, 2018, Issue". The Nation. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (2018-02-21). "How Six Americans Changed Their Minds About Global Warming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ "Rightfully Hers" exhibit tour at National Archives, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2019-09-14
- ^ Larson, Sarah (2018-08-20). ""Caught," Reviewed: A Podcast That Captures the Voices of Incarcerated Kids". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ Daye, Kendrick (8 February 2010). Illustrator Louisa Bertman Captures Celebrities. Art Nouveau Magazine.
- ^ "RICHARD BERTMAN". RICHARD BERTMAN. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ Bertman, Richard (20 August 2016). The Design Process and the Art of the Single Family Home. Images. ISBN 978-1864704440.
- ^ "Leadership". CBT. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ a b Beam, Alex (29 April 2010). Louisa Bertman & "American Idiot". Boston Globe.
- ^ Bertman, Sandra L. (1991-05-03). Facing Death: Images, Insights, and Interventions: A Handbook For Educators, Healthcare Professionals, And Counselors (1st ed.). Bristol, PA: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781560322238.
- ^ Bertman, Sandra (1999-06-17). Grief and the Healing Arts: Creativity as Therapy. Amityville, N.Y: Routledge. ISBN 9780895031983.
- ^ "NSU Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "DR SANDRA BERTMAN PhD, FT, LCSW". Australian Grief and Bereavement Conference 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "Review: Judd Apatow's 'This Is 40' is honest and hilarious". UPROXX. 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "David L. Bertman Stock Photos and Pictures". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) - 'Arrival,' 'La La Land,' 'Moonlight' Among American Cinema Editors' Eddie Award Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Ruling eBook. Retrieved 2018-08-23 – via www.bookrags.com.
- ^ "AI-AP Slideshow". ai-ap.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Annual Exhibitor List". www.societyillustrators.org. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "AI-AP | American Illustration - American Photography". www.ai-ap.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ a b "Lights, Camera, Action for LUNAFEST". Women's Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Busek, Amy. "For women, by women and starring women". Idaho Mountain Express Newspaper. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "All About Women: LUNAFEST Film Festival - Eastern Iowa". girlsontheruniowa.org. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Dickey, Kelly. "Lunafest helps women by celebrating women". Herald Bulletin. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ Friedman, Vanessa (27 July 2017). "A Call to Activism for Outdoor Apparel Makers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Safronova, Valeriya (21 December 2017). "Instagram Is Now a Dating Platform, Too. Here's How It Works". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Annual Report 2017". The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ "Caught: Episodes". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ "Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote". National Archives Museum. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ "March 6, 2017, Issue". The Nation. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Carrns, Ann (March 2018). "No Pension? You Can 'Pensionize' Your Savings". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Caught". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "14th Annual LUNAFEST® Kicks Off Season with Award-winning Filmmaker, Jen McGowan". Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Gay, Jason (2017-11-17). "Want to Spice Up Thanksgiving Dinner? Talk Politics". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Gaal, Eve (12 March 2016). "I thought I was dating the Prince. But he was the Scoundrel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ a b "Kill Your Idols". STATUS Magazine. 9 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011.
- ^ Rivers, Jeff (2018-05-21). "Why are some whites blind to the humanity of black folks?". Andscape. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Ogbunu, C. Brandon (2021-09-16). "Are the #EmmysSoWhite? It's complicated". Andscape. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ Harvey, Sylvia A. "Where's My Village?". The Root. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Harvey, Sylvia A. "How to Stop Locking Up Kids". The Root. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "March 6, 2017, Issue". The Nation. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Younger, Briana. "Cardi B's Best Life". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Thompson, Gabriel. "Will a Latina Labor Lawyer Replace a Tea Party Congressman in California?". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "Cecile Richards Won't Back Down". Lenny Letter. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Valerie Jarrett: "We Need to Keep Guns Away from Domestic Abusers"". Lenny Letter. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "San Francisco Is Failing London Breed". Lenny Letter. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Tom and Ray... in Oil and On Canvas". Car Talk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
- ^ "BUST Magazine - Preview Issue 53". bust.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-23.
- ^ "Road to 23 -- The story of Serena's path to greatness". espnW. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Rivers, Jeff (2017-11-06). "We can thank Jackie Robinson for coloring in the World Series and then the world". Andscape. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Rivers, Jeff (2017-04-17). "Pots & Pans: Ella Fitzgerald was the voice of all our mothers". Andscape. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Rivers, Jeff (2017-12-04). "No matter the circumstance, black men walk through life with swag". Andscape. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Williams, Alex (13 August 2014). "The Power of Two". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "AICAD schools recognize and value diversity as central to excellence in art and design education". AICAD. 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Elegy Ending with a Cell Door Closing: A Poem by Dwayne Betts, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2021-10-17
- ^ "Louisa Bertman". lesley.edu. Retrieved 2019-09-14.