Memphis ADAPT champion dies

Sher Stewart, Patriot of the ADA

Sher Stewart died Sunday after she was hit by a car blocks from her home in New Orleans. Sher was a great storyteller and a passionate ADAPT activist. Her many on-the-scene sketches of disability rights protests led to her Patriots of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) which is exhibited at the Smithsonian.

Sher Stewart’s art career took root in New Orleans in 1967. For more than 50 years she has chased her passion for authenticity across the country, always returning to the major sources of her inspiration: her beloved Jackson Square and her family home in Memphis. 

Her portfolio includes a wide range of subjects and media. From pencil sketches of street musicians to oil portraits of historical figures, Sher is a master at mingling fact and fiction, drama and whimsy. Known for her sepia prints of portrait montages, Sher is a skilled portrait artist, whether drawing from life or from photographs. She is equally at home on canvas and “found objects.”  Her 3-D pieces are the ultimate in trash to treasure kitsch. 

Sher studied under legendary artist Charles Vernon Moran, but her primary influence is her unique perception of the world around her. She was appointed as court sketch artist for the trial of former New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin, convicted of bribery and corruption during his time in office which included the post-Katrina chaos. Through her art she touched the lives of many people and helped tell the story of marginalized people.

Sher Stewart 1946 - 2021