{"id":38322,"date":"2026-02-14T10:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T15:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/?page_id=38322"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:36:45","slug":"sanah-brown-bowers-the-joy-lab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/college-of-business-innovation-leadership-and-technology\/school-of-design-and-art\/cody-gallery\/ballston-center-gallery-2\/sanah-brown-bowers-the-joy-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanah Brown-Bowers: “The Joy Lab”"},"content":{"rendered":"
Exhibition Dates: Artist’s Talk & Reception: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In celebration of Black History Month and beyond, Cody Gallery proudly presents Sanah Brown-Bowers: \u201cThe Joy Lab.\u201d<\/strong> Fusing such inspirations as graffiti, cartoons, African prints, and styles from her childhood in Queens, New York, Brown-Bowers\u2019 immersive installation honors family, faith, and Black history. The vibrant works include large-scale, mixed-media altarpieces, paintings, screenprints, sculptures, video, and audience interaction. A gifted multi-media artist, Brown-Bowers expertly handles materials ranging from oil, acrylic, and spray paint to candy, cast resin, wood, and video.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018The Joy Lab,\u2019\u201d Brown-Bowers writes, \u201cis a space of experimentation, inheritance, and holy imagination. Rooted in Christian Kingdom belief, this lab is an extension of my desire to share faith through Jesus Christ and the biblical values that have shaped my life and lineage. Scripture teaches that \u2018the joy of the Lord is your strength\u2019\u2014especially in communities that have learned joy as resistance and faith as endurance. In this lab, joy is studied, tested, cultivated, and intentionally passed down. Afro-futurist figures, ancestral symbols, and playful materials operate like instruments on a lab table\u2014each exploring how faith, laughter, and legacy move across generations. These pieces ask what happens when joy is nurtured on purpose, and when descendants inherit not only survival, but praise, imagination, and spiritual confidence. This lab honors elders as the original keepers of faith\u2014those who refined joy under pressure and passed it down with wisdom, humor, and prayer. Welcome to \u2018The Joy Lab\u2019\u2014where joy is the experiment, faith is the foundation, and viewers are invited as active participants.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanah Brown-Bowers is a Baltimore-based artist who earned her MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she also regularly teaches. Her recent accolades and exhibitions include first prize in the 2024 Bethesda Painting Awards and solo shows at Touchstone Gallery in Washington, DC and at VisArts in Rockville, MD.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photographs: Installation images in Cody Gallery of\u00a0 Sanah Brown-Bowers: “The Joy Lab.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Exhibition Dates: February 12 \u2013 March 24, 2026 Artist’s Talk & Reception: Thursday, February 26, 2026: Artist’s Talk, 4-5pm, Ballston Center Auditorium Reception, 5-7pm, Cody Gallery Curated by Mary Proenza, Associate Professor of Art & Cody Gallery Director In celebration of Black History Month and beyond, Cody Gallery proudly presents Sanah Brown-Bowers: \u201cThe […]<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span>
<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nFebruary 12 \u2013 March 24, 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThursday, February 26, 2026:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nBallston Center Auditorium<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
\nCurated by Mary Proenza, <\/span><\/strong>Associate Professor of Art & Cody Gallery Director<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n