33 Artist Statement Cover Art: Judy Bowman Artist Statement This piece was inspired from memories of growing up on the east side of Detroit. Almost every weekend, my family would pack up the car and ride over to the Belle Isle Bridge to picnic near the beach. The waters of Detroit were a magical place. Where else could you wade in the water, go swimming while looking over the Detroit skyline, see motor boats, and catch the sun sparkling off the waters? The waters pulled people together to create memories of fishing, canoeing, viewing the Fourth of July fireworks, feeding the ducks, and family love. These were good times and it warms my heart that the Erb Family Founda- tion is helping to make the waters beautiful for generations to come. Artist Biography Judy Bowman was born on the east side of Detroit,Michiganin1952.Herfamilylivedinthe community that was commonly known as Black Bottom. She attended Detroit Public Schools. From a young age, Judy loved to draw and attended summer classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in Morris Brown College, majoring in art, and took additional classes at Spelman College. Benny Andrews, serving as Spelman’s Artist in Residence, was one of her primary teachers. During her time in Atlanta, she was commissioned by Coretta Scott King and Alberta King, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s mother, to create work for the newly-formed MLK Library. After spending 35 years in education, Judy has rededicated herself to making art. Her work has been exhibited at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the ArtPrize and Bombay Sapphire competitions, and many local galleries. Her work is also in the homes of many private collectors, including the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Salvador Salort-Pons and his wife, Alex May.