FarmHER by ABPH Art

“The farmHer project started as an exhibition in the window gallery of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center in Baltimore, MD in May/June 2024. Since then it has take on a life of its own in the most wonderful way. With support from the Maryland State Arts Council, Garrett County Arts Council, and the Garrett Branch of the AAUW, we have started a scholarship fund for Garrett County girls and women in Agriculture or Conservation. In order to fund this program we are selling sets of notecards featuring the 8 pieces of artwork in the farmHer series. All proceeds going to the scholarship fund.”

– ABPH Art

“”The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a farmer as “a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals”. Research shows that during the Agricultural Revolution, 7-10,000 years ago, prehistoric women were likely involved in tilling, planting, and harvesting crops, as well as grinding grain once harvested. Fast forward to the Middle Ages and women were just as active as men in agricultural activities. In 2017, the United States reported 1.2 million female producers, accounting for 36% of our country’s farmers. More than half of all farms (56%) had a female producer.

This collection of art is a tribute to women farmers, or farmHERs. Each of these artworks features a farmHER whose farm is within 20 miles of my home in Garrett County, MD. This list is far from comprehensive, even within that 20-mile radius. One notable omission is my close friend and mentor all things plants, Kathy Evans of Evan’s Knob Farm in West Virginia. However, she is part of each of these artworks as the papers are made from heirloom Bloody Butcher corn grown on her farm. As with every woman run farm I know, each of these is diverse, creative, innovative, and implements the most progressive techniques to overcome the many challenges of farming. Learn more about each of these farms at http://www.abphart.com/farmHER.”

-ABPH ART