Today we’re excited to be connecting with Ariel Bowman again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
Ariel , thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Ariel Bowman, I am a ceramic sculptor and paleoartist working in the DFW area. The goal of my work is to bridge the gap between art and science through reconstructions of extinct mammals in unexpected contexts. I received my BFA in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute and my MFA from the University of Florida, and have conducted grant funded research at the Paris Natural History Museum, and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Awesome, so we reached out because we wanted to hear all about what you have been up to since we last connected.
Since my last interview with Voyage I have shifted my career to being a full time studio artist.
In 2023, I received the Visual Art League of Lewisville’s Fresh Ideas exhibition award. This juried art exhibit highlights works by talented artists from across Dallas/Fort Worth and other areas of Texas, with the first place winner being featured in a solo exhibition the following year. My solo exhibition, Lap of Luxury, places prehistoric mammals within the context of human history as Rococo lap dogs. In the 18th century, lap dogs were a status symbol among the aristocracy, spoiled by royals, who made them a part of their daily social spectacles. This exhibition explores the impact humans have had on animals through breeding and domestication, compared with the marvels of natural selection. Though not related to canines, each prehistoric creature on display was chosen for their familiar dog-like features or unexpected small stature.
I am currently teaching workshops at several studios in the metroplex, including Jump Into Art Studios in McKinney, FCS Clayworks in Garland, and the newly opened Denton Maker Center. I have also done visiting artist workshops this past year at TWU, and the UNT Student Center. I now travel to different art centers, clay studios, and universities around the country to teach these visiting artist workshops. I love this form of teaching as it allows me flexibility, opportunities to travel, and to share the specific techniques I use in my own work with a range of skill levels. It is a wonderful way to support my studio art with additional income.
As a new member of the Denton Ceramics Collective, I have been expanding my work to a few local art fairs, and connecting more with ceramic artists in my community.
My Patreon site is providing me with fantastic support as a studio artist by helping me to pay for shipping costs for exhibitions, and fund building a home studio, which I hope to finish this spring. Patreon members sign up for monthly subscriptions to support my studio practice and benefit from exclusive content and technical videos. in 2025, I plan to sell instructional videos, and online workshops as downloads through Patreon.
I am now looking forward to an exciting exhibition in April 2025 at San Angelo State University’s Mayer Museum that will celebrate the connections between art and science in my work by pairing them with related specimens from the natural history collection. “Curiosity in Motion: The Intersection of Art and Science and Database: Crafting the Code” will have an opening reception on Wednesday April 23rd from 5:30-8;00pm. The opening for the exhibition will coincide with Ceramic Weekend events at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, The Old Chicken Farm Arts Center, and San Angelo State University from April 23-27, 2025.
We have now arrived at one of our favorite parts of the interview – the lightning round. We’ll ask you a few quick questions to give us all some fun insights about you.
- Favorite Movie: Marie Antoinette (2006)
- Favorite Book: Watership Down
- Favorite TV Show: Parks and Recreation
- Favorite Band or Artist: Beth Cavener
- Sweet or Savory: savory
- Mountains or Beach: mountains
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: zoologist
- Favorite Childhood movie: The Lion King
Life is often about tough choices – can you talk to us about your thought process, strategy or philosophy when it comes to making difficult choices or tradeoffs.
I am currently a stay at home mom for my two year old son. The life changes to mother, then working mother, and now stay at home parent, have turned my life and personal identity completely upside down in just a few years. I chose to leave a full time job to care for my son, but also to focus on my studio art. This new lifestyle involved a lot of tradeoffs and difficult choices. My philosophy in making these choices was to focus on what mattered to me most when thinking about the future. The tradeoff was giving up a job that I had worked towards my whole adult life. Now that the dust has settled, I am happy with my choice, and feel like I have the work/life balance that I need along with family support. Most women make hard decisions like this if they have children, and often the decision comes after the impacts of becoming a mother, and are not always what was planned. Every woman does what is best for them and their family no matter how they balance it. The societal judgements for both working mothers and stay at home mothers doesn’t get talked about enough.
My newest series of sculptures in 2025 will explore my own experiences with post-partum depression and loss of identity that accompanies new motherhood. This new lifestyle has changed the times when I work in the studio, and even how I make my pieces to be productive with smaller spans of time. It has been a challenge not to give up on making art entirely, but instead to acknowledge this phase of life and adapt my practice to fit it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arielbowman.com
- Instagram: @ariel.bowman
- Facebook: arielbowman
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/arielbowman
Image Credits
Ariel Bowman
