Art student showcases work at Westobou’s MICRO Gallery through May 25

Brigid Lowery, a fourth-year undergraduate art major at Augusta University, has always had a deep desire to create art that captures the likeness of people.

Earlier this month, Lowery was invited to showcase her artwork in Westobou’s MICRO Gallery at 1129 Broad St. in downtown Augusta through May 25.

“The show is called ‘Proof of Existence,’ and that’s because as an artist, I feel like I always have to be making art and putting art out into the world to prove my existence and to show that I’m really here,” Lowery said. “If I’m not creating art or creating things that I deem worthwhile, then I feel like I don’t really have a place in the world or I feel like I’m just not there, so this show is my proof of existence.”

Lowery, who is set to graduate next spring, said she transferred to AU from Valdosta State University because she became interested in AU’s medical illustration program.

Established in 1948, Augusta University has the oldest graduate program in medical illustration in the world. The medical illustration program has been continuously accredited since 1967, and it is one of only four programs in North America accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

“I started out majoring in speech pathology and communication disorders at Valdosta State University,” said Lowery, who is originally from Milledgeville, Georgia. “But when I was a freshman in college, I took an art class just for fun, just as an extra class. And I realized how much I loved taking art classes, and I just couldn’t do my other major anymore. So, I took a year off of school and convinced my parents that it would be worthwhile to let me pursue an art major.”

Lowery, who has an associate degree in science, thought medical illustration would be a good way of combining her love of art and her interest in science into a new career opportunity.

“I’ve always been into art ever since I was really little, but I never thought I would be able to go to art school. I had always been told that you can’t really make a good career off of art,” she said. “When I learned about the medical illustration program, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. So, as soon as I got to Augusta University, I wanted to meet some of the people involved in medical illustration and make my name known a little bit and get my foot in the door. Everyone that I have met so far in the program has been really great.”

Her interest in medical illustration can clearly be seen throughout the “Proof of Existence” show.

“I have a lot of skulls and skeletons, hearts and hands pieces in my show,” Lowery said. “I even have a self-dissection piece.”

In the work called, “Self Dissection,” Lowery said she looked inward at herself, both physically and emotionally.

“An exploratory laparotomy is a surgery done to find and determine the unknown cause of a problem in the body,” Lowery said. “Sometimes I feel as if there is something different or wrong with me, but I am unsure of what it is or how to fix it. ‘Self Dissection’ is a self-portrait piece where I perform that procedure on myself and look through a surgical lens to pick myself apart and determine why exactly I feel the way I do.”

Lowery said she enjoys exploring artwork involving the human body.

“My goal is to get into the medical illustration program at Augusta University after I graduate with my bachelor’s degree, so this is just practice for me,” she said. “I am just trying to show people what I can do.”

Even when Lowery was taking science classes for speech pathology, she would draw the parts of the body that she was studying.

“When I was taking anatomy classes, I would draw to see how the body worked and to see what was underneath the skin,” Lowery said. “I would hear, ‘You don’t have to draw in these classes.’ But I would always draw while studying to help me understand the anatomy and how everything worked. And I’m really detail oriented, so I really liked seeing the tiniest little details of the skeleton or the heart and trying to capture that in my work.”

Since February, Lowery has been an intern at Westobou, which is a local non-profit arts organization dedicated to supporting artists and their ideas to create engaging and thought-provoking artistic experiences.

“This show came about because I’m an intern here at Westobou,” she said. “As part of the internship, they allow you to have your own show in the MICRO gallery. I’m very thankful to them because a lot of people in my class, they don’t really get an opportunity to show their artwork until their senior year. So, I feel very, very grateful for everything that Westobou does.”

During opening night of her show on May 3, Lowery said it was exciting to see the local art community visit the gallery and see her artwork.

“It’s amazing,” Lowery said. “Honestly, I didn’t know how big the art community was here until I started interning at Westobou. That’s when I realized how close everyone is here in Augusta. Some of the people come to every single opening reception and closing reception that Westobou has. And it’s really nice to see the same faces and know that Westobou has its supporters that will always be supporting them and regional artists.”

Lowery said she has also received tremendous support from AU’s Department of Art and Design. She is particularly grateful for the advice and support from lecturer Cyndy Epps, and assistant professors Katie Kameen and Namwon Choi.

“I owe a huge amount of my success to them. They are great people and professors,” Lowery said. “Professor Cyndy Epps is my adviser, and she is amazing. I’ve had her as a professor for many classes, and she cares so much about her students. It’s obvious how much she wants them to succeed.”

Epps said she couldn’t be prouder of Lowery’s accomplishments as an art student at Augusta University.

“When I first saw samples of Brigid’s work, it was evident that she had a strong eye for detail, but it has been exciting to watch her develop as an artist,” Epps said. “Her curiosity and willingness to try new things paired with her attention to detail has been magic, as evidenced in her exhibition.

“As faculty, we make recommendations to students to help them succeed both in their artwork and pursuit of their career goals,” Epps added. “Brigid takes risks and applies those suggestions, and I have no doubt that she will continue to achieve her goals and find success.”

A particularly proud moment for Lowery was when her parents attended opening night of her show at Westobou’s MICRO Gallery.

“My parents, they came to the show, and they were overjoyed and proud of me,” Lowery said, smiling. “It makes me really happy to see them proud of me and have them see me in my element. I know I’ve made the right choice.”