BECOMING

"As viewers encounter Becoming, they are confronted with a large wall pierced by hundreds of orderly symmetrical strings. Peeking just above the wall is a glimpse at a coiled peak, a hint of something else beyond. Her installations are often commentaries on upbringing, culture, and gender. Bowman purposely utilizes fibers and fiber techniques in her work because of their association with traditional women’s work, such as basket weaving.

The many layers of regulated strings are symbolic of the many tasks associated with homemaking; tidy strands hang from the wall in methodical procession, connoting order and composure. However, as the strings perforate the wall they tie into a massive sculpture of tangled threads and complex weaves behind the seemingly orderly facade. The calm and measured exterior belies the more chaotic but enticing interior. For the artist, the rituals of individual domestic acts over time are accumulated into a complex, magnificent aggregate of memory and experience, an allegory transforming the mundane into the sacred."*

WATERCOURSE

"A vinyl river meanders its way around the gallery, revealing deltas and oxbows in its channels. Bowman has spent many summers on river trips with her family. This particular river is a rendition of the Green River and tells a story of a journey by raft and canoe. Bowman purposely chose vinyl as her medium, alluding to the crisp lines on topographical maps. The rhythms, routines, and patterns of daily life become a contemplative allegory for memory, ceremony, ritual, and the sublime."*

*Jeff Lambson, Curator of Contemporary Art, Brigham Young University Museum of Art