#70: Andrea Bowers on Chronicling 30 Years of Contemporary History

THE IDEALISTS.

In this week’s all-new episode of THE IDEALISTS., host and entrepreneur, Melissa Kiguwa speaks to Andrea Bowers who The New York Times calls one of America’s foremost political artists. For more than 30 years, Andrea has built an international reputation as a chronicler of contemporary history, documenting activism as it unfolds and collecting research on the front lines of protest. Her practice contends with issues such as immigration rights, workers’ rights, climate justice, and women’s rights, illustrating the shared pursuit of justice that connects them.

Highlights:
- Andrea leads the conversation by describing her childhood growing up in a depressed, small town in Ohio and how the environment cultivated a contrarian politic in her.
- Andrea and Melissa discuss how women across political lines can "speak" to each other— from capitalist feminists to radical feminist activists.
- Next, Andrea tracks her work archiving activists around the world and how she conceptualizes the source material of these activists.
- Andrea then describes how she reckons with radical patience vis a vis progress in her art— that sometimes those fighting for justice will not see the fruits of their labor in their lifetime.
- Lastly, Andrea discusses her own subjectivity and how that impacts whether she puts herself in the art she creates.

Join the conversation about THE IDEALISTS. and break*through.

At our website: https://www.theidealistspodcast.co/
On Instagram: @theidealistspodcast_
On Twitter: @theidealistspod
Help us grow! Leave a review of the show on Apple or Spotify
Order a copy of the*journal