Heidi Hardin - Self-Portraits: K-12 Heidi, Then Then: Story behind the collection
By Brenna Parker
Digital Marketing/SEO at Think Round, Inc.
Heidi Hardin was born in 1953 and is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where she grew up as one of seven children. Her family history is not an easy story to tell, and included many traumatic memories that Heidi repressed for years.
She studied Biology and Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego in 1976 and attained a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from there three years later. It was during these college years that Heidi began to utilize her own family photos and childhood keepsakes as source material to connect memories of her past.
In an attempt to recollect what had happened to her and reignite her life, Heidi was inspired by some of the distressing snippets of her past to transform them into a series of 13 mixed media collages: Self-Portraits: K-12 Heidi, Then Then. The collages contain various details and images that symbolize how her Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) have shaped her, year by year.
“All of my artworks are about my childhood and trying to piece together and create something beautiful, inspiring, and joyful” Heidi states.
Heidi Hardin, 8th Grade
Heidi Hardin, 1st Grade
Heidi is currently collaborating with three other Shipyard Artists-- Kim Smith, Mary Southall, and Marc Ellen Hamel on the exhibition, Pieced Together. The exhibition is currently open and held virtually, where all four artist’s works can be seen. You can enter the Pieced Together exhibition here.
This exhibition (along with others) is organized by Think Round, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed in 2004. Heidi Hardin is both the founder and executive director, where she aimed to demonstrate life’s fullest potential through the arts and sciences, especially where environmental concerns meet family homes and neighborhoods.
Heidi has worked in Southeast San Francisco community arts for more than 20 years. There, she has taught art and science to children about the cleanup and redevelopment of Hunter’s Point Shipyard in San Francisco. Heidi has learned through her work that no matter how traumatic or toxic one’s childhood has been, there are still good people on the planet willing and able to help with the cleanup and reuse of one’s life.
“I’ve been blessed with many, many powerful messages about resilience, hope, strength, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness” Heidi says in an interview.
Heidi’s story is an inspiring one. It guides one to believe that the past does not define who a person is, but what he or she does next, does.
If you or anyone you know is in need of trauma recovery, Think Round Inc. offers a health and wellness trauma incident reduction program, Turning the Tide of Trauma. Contact info@thinkround.org for more information.