Art of Bertha Street on display through March

The Old Post Office Museum and Art Center is displaying the works of Anna Bertha Street through the end of March. The 33 pieces of art represent a lifetime of the woman whose children continue to make an impact within Graham.

According to information provided to the OPOMAC by Dorman Holub and Anne Street, Anna Bertha Street was born in Graham Dec. 4, 1884, and at 7 years old moved to Spokane, Wash. with her parents

She was sent to live with a cousin in Louisville, Ky. and attended Miss Semple’s School and later moved onto Dallas and attended college at St. Mary’s Espiscopal School. Her introduction to painting came at the college where she won an art prize in 1904.

She later returned to Graham and then traveled to Europe in 1911 with a group of cousins and friends from Graham. Horace Bruce Street proposed to Anna on the return trip. They raised five children and three nieces in Graham.

“Anna Bertha Graham Street was the last living child of the Col. ES and Addie Graham family,” the summarized history by Holub and Anne Street reads. “She was known as the city’s greatest benefactress. Mrs. Street left her mark on virtually every civic project in Graham that bore her father’s name, carrying on the tradition of her mother, Addie Mary Kinter Graham, who had interested herself in every aspect of Graham, from supplying the first two football fields for the high school to water and filter plants.”

In 1964, after her son Bill urged her to continue painting, she once again after 60 years began painting again and won an art prize during the Graham Art Guild’s November 1964 Art Show. Street died April 10, 1980, aged 96, but her legacy continues through her sons. The Bertha Foundation was formed in her honor by her sons Bruce and Boyd, which continues to provide support for projects of civic improvement.

Street’s art is on display at the OPOMAC until March 28 and on Saturday, Feb. 1, a Street family reunion and art showcase was held at the center. OPOMAC Director Gordon Grubbs said the talents of Street were unknown to many who knew about her.

“Everyone I have talked to who lived here in Graham knew nothing of her talent really as an artist, other than a few family members, I believe, that is about it,” he said at the Street family reception held Saturday. “Family members we thank you so very much for sharing these precious pieces of her life with us for the next couple of months.”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Feb. 5 edition of The Graham Leader.