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Andrea Bowers



Andrea Bowers is well-known as a feminist and social activist. Her art tackles hard and uncomfortable subjects: political, historical, and personal. She was born in 1965 in Ohio into a rather conservative home that was Republican but didn't really participate in politics. Through her liberal art education and her view of issues effecting women, minorities, and the marginalized, she has taken on her very powerful stance on these issues. Bowers makes contemporary issues personal through her work. She takes these large and politically heated issues and narrows them down to the individuals who are actually effected. This makes it personal and real and allows a different point of view on the issue that one might not normally think about if they themselves aren't affected by it.She has followed a path that other social activist artist tend to follow- she was an observer, became a passive commentator through her work, and is now a devoted activist. She is very thoughtful in the way she uses her art to say something. She doesn't tend to show anger or irrational outrage. Her work is quiet and powerful, using negative space to draw attention to the individual and their circumstances. It's very effective.


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