A MAN IN A JAUNTY JACKET A sits cross-legged, trumpet in hand. Behind him, dancers and musicians vibe in a framed portrait. The image seems to float off the page-multidimensional, in medium and in meaning. It's the work of Judy Bowman, who draws from her past to depict Black life through acrylic paint and snipped swatches of paper. Although Bowman came late to a career in art, her mixed-media pieces can be found in places like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Georgetown University Library. Interview with Nikki Miller-Ka
NM When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
JB When I was in kindergarten, I wanted crayons, but we didn't have any at home. So I asked my teacher if I could go to the bathroom. When I was in the stall, I started stuffing crayons down my socks to take home. But I guess I was in the bathroom a little too long-the teacher came in and I was mid-thievery. I don't remember if she called my mom or told me to put them back, but I knew then I really wanted to be an artist.
NM You grew up in Detroit and went to college in Atlanta. How did they differ?
JB In Detroit, we had a middle-class life. Cut the grass on Saturday, go to church on Sunday. We had dinner at five o'clock every day. Father went to work, and Mother did all the cooking. I wasn't too political or abreast of the news and things that were going on. When I went to Atlanta, it was during the height of the Afrocentrism movement of the '70s. I was immersed in Black pride, Black culture, Black independence, Black leadership. My eyes opened to the power and the culture of the pride of Black people.
NM How does your art reflect that?
This story is from the Fall 2023 edition of Midwest Living.
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This story is from the Fall 2023 edition of Midwest Living.
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At Long Last - At sunny meadows flower farm in Columbus, Ohio, the same cutting beds that feed summer's fresh bouquets also provide bunches of everlastings for use in dried arrangements
At sunny meadows flower farm in Columbus, Ohio, the same cutting beds that feed summer's fresh bouquets also provide bunches of everlastings for use in dried arrangements and wreaths-both their own creations and yours. color us inspired.
NATURAL FIT
WITH LANDSCAPES NEAR AND FAR AS THEIR GUIDE, A MINNEAPOLIS COUPLE BUILT A NEW HOME THAT COMPLEMENTS ITS ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOFTENS THE LINE BETWEEN INDOORS AND OUT.
COLOR SHOW
FALL IS A BIT LIKE THE HOLIDAYS, WITH SPECTACULAR DISPLAYS OF COLOR AND LIGHT EVERYWHERE-EXCEPT NATURE DOES THE DECORATING. TREAT YOURSELF TO THE SEASON'S SIGHTS AND SOUNDS ON A VISIT TO ONE OF THESE DAZZLING PARKS.
IT'S CHILI TIME
AT A TAILGATE, A CAMPOUT OR JUST BECAUSE IT'S FALL, NOTHING HITS LIKE CHILI. AND FEW MEALS STOKE MORE REGIONAL PRIDE AND DEBATE. (TEXANS, WE SEE YOU. WE RESPECT YOU. BUT WE LIKE BEANS.) SO WE'RE GIVING YOU FIVE NEW CHILI RECIPES INCLUDING ONE FOR LEGIT CINCINNATI CHILI-PLUS CHEESY SCALLION CORNBREAD AND AN ODE TO CINNAMON ROLLS. (DON'T ASK. JUST READ ON.)
The GREAT ESCAPES
IN WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA, HISTORIC LAKESIDE RESORTS KEEP ALIVE A CENTURY OF TRADITION. GENERATION AFTER GENERATION, THEY HAVE YET TO GO OUT OF STYLE.
TWO FOR ONE
PLAN A FALL WEEKEND TO BENTON HARBOR AND ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, AND YOU'LL HAVE DOUBLE THE FUN.
DAY OF THE DEAD
DURING DÍA DE MUERTOS (NOVEMBER 1-2), TRADITION HOLDS THAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SPIRIT AND LIVING WORLDS WEAKENS, ALLOWING A REUNION WITH PASSED LOVED ONES. HERE ARE SIX PLACES TO CELEBRATE.
MAIN ATTRACTION
FRESH LOCAL FARE AND SLEEK COFFEE SHOPS RUB SHOULDERS WITH STYLISH BOUTIQUES AND VINTAGE MARKETS IN MOUNT VERNON, IOWA.
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
GLACIERS ONCE SHAPED THE TERRAIN OF SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. TODAY, PEOPLE DO. THEIR IMPRINT SHOWS EVERYWHERE IN A LIVELY FOOD AND COCKTAIL SCENE, THROUGH A KALEIDOSCOPE OF OUTDOOR ART, AND AT A WATERFALL PARK THAT LOOKS BETTER THAN EVER.
PEAR HUGS
AS COMFORTING AS A LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP (AND AS SPECIAL TOO), THESE PEARS COME WRAPPED IN PASTRY, DRIZZLED WITH CARAMEL AND INFUSED WITH GOOD FEELS.
