Theresa Byrnes is an artist and a performer. She is also one of the most extraordinary and inspiring individuals I’ve ever known as she never allows the fact that she is in a wheelchair to inhibit her zest for life or passion for creating art. And at the age of forty-four, she just became a mother for the first time.
We originally met eighteen years ago when I took the portraits for her first ever magazine article in Who Weekly that detailed her battle with Friedreich’s ataxia which had put her in a wheelchair in her late teens. I admired her drive and determination and we subsequently became friends after the shoot.
She moved from Sydney to NYC about twelve years ago and when I relocated here eight years ago we picked up our friendship as if no time had passed at all. I became one of the people she’d call to get involved when she created her semi regular performance pieces such as ‘CLOTHED’ and ‘Measure Of Man’ which I documented and can be seen in this blog.
Sometime last summer Theresa sent me a message asking me to visit as she had some news to impart. I was surprised when she told me that she was pregnant. Having raised my daughter as a single parent for ten out of twenty years, I know too well the potential issues and difficulties involved in raising a child and so immediately volunteered to help in any way I could.
We agreed to collaborate on a series of pictures where I would document the pregnancy on a semi weekly basis and the pictures in this blog are the result of that collaboration.
I photographed Theresa eighteen times in her gallery and at home between 20th September and 17th February, when I took the first pictures of her son Sparrow Joe Louis. I have only posted the gallery pictures here as I feel they are stronger in this context.
This is an excellent article in a recent issue of Villager about Theresa and her views on becoming a mother at this stage in her life. For inspiration and perspective on life, it’s definitely worth taking the five minutes required to read it. Theresa is currently having a massive art sale and I suggest that if you’re in NYC you make your way down to her East Village gallery at 616 East 9th St between Avenues B & C on Saturdays and Sundays and if you’re not here in the city, then go online to her website or the online catalogue and buy something there.
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-09-27 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant010101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-09-27 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-10-05 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant010103.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-10-05 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-10-12 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant020101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-10-12 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-10-25 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant030101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-10-25 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-11-01 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant040101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-11-01 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-11-09 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant050101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-11-09 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-11-16 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant060102.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-11-16 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-11-23 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant070102.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-11-23 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-12-01 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant080104.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-12-01 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-12-07 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant090101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-12-07 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-12-07 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant100104.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-12-07 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2013-12-29 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant110102.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2013-12-29 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-01-05 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant120101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2014-01-05 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-01-13 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant130202.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her mother on 2014-01-13 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-01-18 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant140101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2014-01-18 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-01-26 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant150109.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2014-01-26 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-04 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant160102.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2014-02-04 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-04 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant160305.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with son Sparrow Joe Louis on 2014-02-04 in her Gallery © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-04 in her East Village Gallery 'Suffer' © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant160317.jpg)
Pregnant Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her mother on 2014-02-04 in her East Village Gallery ‘Suffer’ © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-04 in her East Village apartment © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTheresaPregnant160501.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes pregnant with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-04 in her East Village apartment © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTSparrow010101.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTSparrow010102.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTSparrow010110.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
![Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission](https://7e4e30.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ByrnesTSparrow010113.jpg)
Artist Theresa Byrnes at home in her East Village apartment with her son Sparrow Joe Louis 2014-02-17 © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission