Allison Bowman ’17 creates connections to nature and community through her art
Allison Bowman ’17 has always been drawn to the tallgrass prairie.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, she came to K-State as a transfer student to
study art, and whenever she needed a moment of peace and reflection, she would walk
through the Konza Prairie. The gently rolling hills, waving grasses and beautiful
wildflowers served as sources of inspiration that continue to weave themselves through
her artwork.
Today Bowman is a multidisciplinary artist who also works for a nonprofit arts organization
called Mid-America Arts Alliance.
“I think the connection that I have through everything that I do is nature,” she said.
“My style is pretty whimsical. I dabble between abstract and realistic. I create artwork
to connect people to nature, but also use it as a way to emphasize and to talk about
art-making as a tool for mental health and well-being.”
Bowman said that during her time at K-State, she was able to experiment with many
styles of art and form close bonds with her fellow artists.
“I loved all of the different types of classes that I was able to take,” she said.
“I concentrated in painting, but with the studio art degree you were able to take
ceramics and printmaking and jewelry and metal smithing; there are just so many classes
that were offered that I thought were really interesting.
“I really just liked how everybody in the art department and the students there, we
were all just a tight-knit group. We did everything together, and we did studio hours
together. And the painting professors Nancy Morrow and Kevin Bernstein really pushed
me to think outside the box when I was creating work. There's still things that I
hear them saying in my head when I'm creating work that helped me figure out problems
that I'm having, or just little bits of advice that they gave.”
Bowman said that her favorite artistic mediums and materials to work with evolve and
change over time. Although she loves oil paints, her current studio is located inside
her home and doesn’t have adequate ventilation for that type of work. Recently, she’s
been painting with acrylics and working on mixed media collage, which blends painting
with found images of birds and butterflies, different types of paper, and pressed
flowers and plants.
“There's a little bit of real materials in my art, and then I try to create these
intricate, layered pieces,” she said.
She’s also gotten more involved in public art displays, particularly since the COVID pandemic. She created a musical garden mural for an elementary school in Ogden, Kansas. The school also installed instruments shaped like flowers so that children can play and interact with the exhibit.
She participated in the Kansas City 2021 Art in the Loop project displaying art at
streetcar stops. Her piece featured an abstract plant environment titled “Sacred Spaces”
and was coupled with a QR code that people could scan and then complete a five-minute
breathing meditation.
“It allows for art to be accessible by anybody,” she said of public art displays.
“It breaks down those barriers of entry to be able to experience art. I love just
bringing art to the community and allowing people to enjoy it, regardless of who they
are, where they are in their lives.”
She even had a chance to showcase her love for the prairie through her participation
in the Kansas City area Parade of Hearts public art campaign. Her piece, titled “Of the Prairie,” is displayed on the K-State Olathe campus.
While creating the heart, she learned about how little of the tallgrass prairie is
left. According to the National Park Service, tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America, but today less
than 4% remains intact, mostly in the Kansas Flint Hills.
“I think it's really important that we recognize that we have this beautiful thing
in Kansas, and that we work to conserve and preserve it,” she said.
Bowman’s latest project, debuting in February 2025, is called "Prairie In The Parks:
Sticker Vending Machine" and is a travelling public art project that highlights four
parks within the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District that focus on natural
prairie conservation and restoration. Bowman has designed a sticker and also commissioned
three other artists to create stickers inspired by the parks. The sticker vending
machine, which is funded by an Inspiration Grant from ArtsKC, will be popping up at
libraries and community centers in Olathe, Shawnee, De Soto, and Overland Park, Kansas.
Bowman said that one of the biggest things that brings her joy through creating art
is watching other people connect with her work.
“I have a lot of love for each of my pieces, but it's such an internal process that
sometimes you can really get in your own head about things. So I recently started
doing art fairs and pop ups and that kind of thing, and bringing my work to people.
It’s been really fun to just see how people connect to my work in their own way. I've
learned things that I would have never even thought of about my own work just from
hearing how other people talk about it.”
Bowman’s work also can be viewed at SNW Gallery at 328 Poyntz Ave. in Manhattan.
Profile photo credit: Skylar Ann Photography