Betty Gowans is a sculptor, photographer, and performance artist exploring anatomy, introspection, and relationships on humble and great scales. She holds a BFA in Three-Dimensional Media with a minor in Art History from Old Dominion University (ODU). Awarded a solo exhibition at the Offsite Gallery by the Norfolk Arts Council in 2017, she has exhibited extensively in the Tidewater Region in juried and solo shows. Additionally, Betty has lectured on her artwork and research in art history - earning her several scholarships and awards from ODU and the Virginia Glass Guild. She lives and works in Norfolk, VA with her two cats.

b. 1995, Norfolk, VA

My work focuses on introspection, relationships, and memory – contemplating existence in relation to the interior and the exterior. Through my abstractions of the tangible world and representations of my own musings, I explore connections to self and more – considering duality, the subconscious, the other, the corporeal, the ethereal, light, shadow, and more. I create work with the intent of viewer participation, hoping the audience will evaluate or consider their existences, relationships, bodies, environment, or selves. By providing open-ended prompts in my work, I leave space for the viewer to exist and establish a relationship to the work for themselves, even if it conflicts with my own notions of the work.