Alumna Deanna Bowen (MVS 2008) was recently profiled by Canadian Art for her research on anti-Blackness in 20th-century Canada. Bowen is a descendant of the Alabama- and Kentucky-born Black Prairie pioneers of Amber Valley and Campsie, Alberta, and this family geneology largely informs her artwork.

“To understand how her family history positions her in Canada today, Bowen’s deep historical research ranges from community and institutional archives, first-person conversations and forgotten photographs to newspaper clippings and television recordings,” writes Canadian Art. “She uses whatever medium can best tell the stories she uncovers: shot-for-shot remakes in video and performance, documentary photography, text-based reproductions, and a theatrical production for a fall 2017 solo exhibition at Mercer Union.”

In 2013, Bowen’s exhibit at the Art Gallery of York University explored the Ku Klux Klan’s role in 20th century Canadian history by strategically displaying violent, white supremacist banners. The exhibit sparked a conversation on campus and caused “people who pass by everyday to literally trip over themselves.”