ABOUT THE ARTIST
Madison Cowles Serna earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in 2018, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2013. Originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cowles Serna has spent the majority of her time in Texas. Her work explores a variety of themes, primarily introspection and sexual assault, through the use of printmaking, painting, and installation.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
My work focuses on amplifying the voices of survivors of rape and abuse by creating large-scale portraits of survivors and allies painted on used billboard vinyl, poetry reflecting the emotional trauma of assault, and 3D-printed wall sculptures of passages written by survivors.
In the spring of 2017, I began reaching out online and in-person to find survivors who would be open to talking to me. Some people agreed to send me a handwritten text about their experiences. These writing samples included thoughts, poems, and descriptions of the assault they had never shared previously. These people are strangers, acquaintances, close friends, and family. Now, my network of survivors is ever-expanding, with lots of portraits in progress.
As a survivor, I continue to seek healing for others and for myself through this work.
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EDUCATION
2015-2018 Master of Fine Arts: Art Studio
The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
2008-2013 Bachelor of Fine Arts: Printmaking
The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
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Studio Artist at Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery: August 2019 - August 2020
EXHIBITIONS
2023
“Spooky Times” (Group) Blk Wht Gry Gallery, San Antonio, TX
“Iridescent” (Group) Creative Eye Gallery, San Antonio, TX
“Brought to Light” (Group, Workshop) UTSA School of Art, San Antonio, TX
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2022
“La Dama” (Group, Curated by Manola and Maria Ramirez) Carver Community Cultural Center, San Antonio, TX
"Light Survives" (Solo) Gallery 23, San Antonio, TX
"Drawn In San Antonio" (Group, Curated by Lyle Williams and Rafael F. Gutierrez Jr.) McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
"Ambos Lados International Exchange" (Group, Traveling Exhibition) Outpost Inpost, Albuquerque, NM
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2021
"Take Back the Night" (Group) UTSA Sombrilla, San Antonio, TX
"Red Dot Exhibition" (Group) Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
"The Sitter" (Group, Curated by Jacqueline McGilvray) Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
"Ambos Lados International Exchange" (Group, Traveling Exhibition) Casa Ortiz, Socorro, TX
"Dream Week SA 2021: Artistic Dreams" (Juried) Digital exhibition, DreamWeek.org and Luminaria
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2020
"Red Dot Show" (Juried by Jacqueline McGilvray) Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
"Rowdy Women Takeover 2" (Group) South Texas Museum of Popular Culture, San Antonio, TX
"No More Erasure" (Solo) Clamp Light, San Antonio, TX
"Sick of It!" (Juried by Kimiya Factory and Taylor Waits) Digital exhibition, Change Rape Culture & Texas Organizing Project
"Small Scale Big Change" (Group) Say Si, San Antonio, TX
"Mujeres Marcharan" (Group) Galería E.V.A., San Antonio, TX
"Print Austin PRINT EXPO" (Juried) Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Austin, TX
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2019
"Ambos Lados International Exchange" (Group, Traveling Exhibition)
- SGCI, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
- Argos Studio/Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
- Presented at Instituto de Artes Graficas de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MX
- Light Art Space Gallery, Silver City, NM
- Encore Gallery, Taos, NM
"Pride Pachanga" (Group) South Texas Museum of Popular Culture, San Antonio, TX
"Summation Continuation" (Solo) Renaissance Fine Jewelry, San Antonio, TX
"Rowdy Women Takeover" (Group) Tex Pop, San Antonio, TX
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2018
"Fourth Annual Lexington Guild of Printmakers Exhibition" (Group) The Parachute Factory, Lexington, KY
"PRHBTN 2018" (Juried) Loudoun House, Lexington, KY
"New Impressions Printmaking" (Jurors Bill Fick, Carlos Hernandez, Susan Rostow) Sawtooth Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
"New Impressions Printmaking" (Jurors Bill Fick, Carlos Hernandez, Susan Rostow) SGC International, Las Vegas, NV
"Pressing" (Solo) Bolivar Art Gallery Lexington, KY
"TAE 18" (Group) Strathnairn Arts Association, Austrailia
"Grind: Contemporary Lithography Invitational Print Exchange" (Group) Freight Gallery, San Antonio, TX
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2017
"We Are Here" (Group) The PIT Gallery, Lexington, KY
"Against the Grain: Contemporary Invitational Lithography Print Exchange" (Group) The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
"Social Thoughts" (Juror Janet Meek) Indiana University Kokomo Union Street Gallery, Kokomo, IN
"PRHBTN 2017" (Juried) Loudoun House, Lexington, KY
"Tiny Monsters" (Juried) Fe Gallery, Sacramento, CA
"Crossing Borders" (Group) Clamp Light Artist Studios and Gallery, San Antonio, TX
"Lexington Guild of Printmakers: Third Annual Members Exhibition" (Group) The Parachute Factory, Lexington, KY
"Hybrid" (2 Person Show) The Lyric Theatre, Lexington, KY
"Excavations; in yellow" (Juror Jessica Bingham) Mantle Art Space, San Antonio, TX
"Northeast Regional Collegiate Print Exhibit" (Juror Eileen Foti) Printmaking Center of New Jersey, Branchburg, NJ
"Three Decades Plus: Printmaking at UTSA" (Jurors Kent Rush, Gregory Elliot, Meredith Dean, Scott Sherer) UTSA Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
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2016
"PRHBTN 2016" (Group) Loudoun House, Lexington, KY
"Sweet Peach Collective Exhibition" (Group) K23 Gallery, San Antonio, TX
"Lexington Guild of Printmakers: Second Annual Members Exhibition" (Group) Kentucky for Kentucky, Lexington, KY
"Bon A Tirer Printmakers 1st Group Exhibition" (Group) Flax Studio, San Antonio, TX
"Young Artists Exhibition" (Juried) Peace Gallery, Lexington, KY
"Twitter Art Exhibit" (Group) Trygve Lie Gallery, New York, NY
"The Chautauqua National Exhibition: What If?" (Juror John Begley) Giles Gallery, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
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2015
"Carey Ellis Exhibition" (Juror Becky Alley) Bolivar Art Gallery, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
"P2 Surplus," (Group) The Downtown Arts Center, Lexington, KY
"Lexington Guild of Printmakers: First Annual Members Exhibition," (Group) The Bread Box, Lexington, KY
"The Printmaking Power Couple," (Group) Melinda Martinez Studio, San Antonio, TX
"Small Scale Work for a Larger Cause," (Group) Say SÍ, San Antonio, TX
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2014
"Print It Up 2014," (Group) R Gallery, San Antonio, TX
"Steamrolled Prints," (Group) 3rd Space Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
"Texas Artists Exhibition," (Juried) Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, TX
"Twitter Art Exhibit," (Group) Magic Gallery, Orlando, FL
"Small Scale Work for a Larger Cause," (Group) Say SÍ, San Antonio, TX
"San Antonio Collegiate Student Exhibition," (Group) San Antonio Art League & Museum, San Antonio, TX
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2013
"Fall 2013 BFA Exhibition," (Group) The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
"Screenprint Exhibition," (Group) Lullwood Studios, San Antonio TX
"Texas Artists Exhibition," (Juried) Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, TX
"Print It Up," (Group) R Gallery, San Antonio, TX
"Contemporary Art Month," (Group) Melinda Martinez Studio, San Antonio, TX
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2012
"August," (Group) Melinda Martinez Studio, San Antonio, TX
"Arte Nuevo," (Juror Kate Bonansinga of University of Cincinnati) The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
"Raw: The Blend, Inaugural Show" (Juried) Backstage Live, San Antonio, TX
"San Antonio Collegiate Student Exhibition," (Juried) San Antonio Art League & Museum, San Antonio, TX
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2010
"Cuéntanos Bien," (Juried) Rendon Gallery, San Antonio, TX
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MURALS
Chalk It Up at Parman Library Branch, San Antonio, TX : October 10, 2020
Black Lives Matter Community Mural at Southwest Workers Union, San Antonio, TX
Mural in residence at Clamp Light, San Antonio, TX : October 2019 to July 2020
Chalk It Up at ArtPace, San Antonio, TX : October 13, 2018
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TALKS & DEMONSTRATIONS
2020
Red Dot Artist talk on Zoom and Facebook Live with Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
Novel Ideas Book Fair Artist Talk at Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
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2018
Silkscreen Monotype workshop at Lavaca Studios in San Antonio, TX
"Heroes del Pueblo" series of monthly community screen printing workshops at La Printeria in San Antonio, TX
"Pressing: A Survivor-Centered Approach" for University of Kentucky Victimology, Lexington, KY
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2017
"After Art School" artist talk at the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies, in Lexington, KY
“Hybrid Flags"(Workshop) Spring Break Initiative for The Lyric Theatre in Lexington, KY
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2016
“Leave Your Stamp” (Workshop) 4-H Conference at The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
2015
MFA Talk (Artist Talk) at The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Lexington Guild of Printmakers Artist Talk at The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
2014
Relief block printed in steamroller demonstration during Mid-America College Art Association 2014 Conference hosted by UTSA
“Chupachanga!” Steamrolled Woodblocks (Demonstration) San Anto Cultural Arts, San Antonio, TX
Wood block carving demonstration for the Bon A Tirer Printmaking Club, The University of Texas at San Antonio
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2013
Screen printing demonstration during the "Print It Up" opening reception, at R Gallery, San Antonio, TX.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
2018
Artwork featured in July 2018 issue of Jaamzin Creative Magazine
Artwork featured in Winter 2018 Issue of Art Cult Magazine
"Lend Your Voice to Survivors by Creating a Square for the Monument Quilt" UK NOW April 2018
"Pressing Exhibit Gives Voice to Survivors of Rape; Abuse" UK NOW, March 2018
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2017
Artwork featured in "Three Decades Plus: Printmaking at UTSA" exhibition catalog
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2016
Artwork featured in issue #14 of The Hand Magazine, October 2016
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2015
“Psychological Portraits by Madison Cowles” Creative Digest, May 2015 [View]
2014
Artwork featured in the University of Texas at San Antonio's Undergraduate Art Catalog [View]
2013
"Printmaking Club is First Edition on Campus"
Interview published in UTSA's "The Paisano" on October 1, 2013
2012
"UTSA Presents 'New Art/Arte Nuevo' exhibit with work by 19 Texas Artists" June 2012 [View]
Artwork published in the Arte Nuevo Exhibition Catalog online and in print, June 2012 [View]
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PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Mid America Print Council
Lexington Guild of Printmakers
Sweet Peach Collective
Mercado Collective