Gallery 157: Moulton couple sharing the impact of art

Jan. 22—MOULTON — Standing in front of a wall featuring his multimedia pieces, Milton Bowens pointed to a work honoring Victor Hugo Green.

"He created the 'Green Book' so African Americans would know what places were safe for them to stop at. Many people don't know about him today," Bowens said. "That's what art is here for — to educate, not just decorate."

That motto drives the works celebrating history and Black culture created by Bowens and his wife, artist Daphne Burgess.

"Especially during this time when there are so many attacks on history and people revising and erasing history, these stories need to be shared. If we don't share them, who will? I feel that is our responsibility as artists," Burrows said.

To share those stories, Bowens and Burgess opened Gallery 157 after moving from Sacramento, California, to Lawrence County in 2019 to be closer to Burgess' mother.

Last month, the duo moved Gallery 157, which they run with Burgess' sister, Shannon Burgess, to Lawrence Street on the square in Moulton.

"When we opened, we had such high hopes for this community space, but the foot traffic wasn't there. The engagement just was not happening as much as we wanted. We moved to the square to hopefully build some interest in the art and attract more visitors," Burgess said.

Along with hanging in Gallery 157, works by Burgess are currently on display at Florida Atlantic University and pieces by Bowens belong in collections owned by Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, NBA coach Gregg Popovich and former NBA commissioner David Stern. Bowens also created commissioned pieces for the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers and more.

Inside Gallery 157 on a recent winter morning, Bowens worked matting and framing illustrations created by Burgess. The pieces, which feature two children exploring their community, are part of the "Paint-A-Rock Day" exhibit. The unveiling of the exhibit on Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., will mark the opening of the new Gallery 157 space.

"Our aim is to create a space that will increase the community's access to art and art experiences," Burgess said. "If you've never been in a gallery or stood in front of a piece of art and talked about it, you may feel intimidated. We want to take that intimidation away because art can be life changing."

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Developing talent

Both Bowens, 55, and Burgess, 48, know firsthand the power of art.

Bowens' relationship with art began at the age of 8 after his father's death.

"I didn't know how to deal with that loss. I started doing graffiti and was arrested at 10 for tagging an Oakland police car. But because of that arrest, I was introduced to the Oakland Renaissance School of Arts. That was the first time, and not the last, that art rescued me," Bowens said.

Bowens, who received a scholarship to California College of Arts & Crafts, dropped out his freshman year to enlist in the Army.

"I felt like it was something I had to do. My grandfather served in World War II, my father served in Korea and both of my older brothers got into the Army during the Vietnam War," Bowens said. "I was a paratrooper and while on a jump, I got hurt. One of my buddies gave me a sketch pad while I was recovering. When the company commander saw my drawing, he changed my job classification to army illustrator."

After his discharge from the military, Bowens attended Laney College in Oakland. There, an art professor, David Bradford, inspired Bowens to pursue art and art education as a career.

Through art, Bowens has touched thousands of lives. He served as the spokesperson for the first year of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts' Any Given Child Initiative, which brings art experiences and exposure to children in grades kindergarten to eighth grade. He also created his own arts initiative for schools.

"I use art as a tool to reinforce the curriculum that is already on the books. It's trying to reposition what they've already learned in a different method that doesn't cause anxiety. Art, in theory, is supposed to be a stress-free task. You take art in the classroom, it's almost like the kids, for a short period of time, get an anxiety break."

Burgess, who grew up in California, where her father was stationed with the military, grew up loving art. When she expressed a desire to pursue art as a career, her family questioned her.

"It was one of those, 'What will you do with that,' situations. I knew I loved to draw and paint and I saw my dad, who was also artistic, never pursue his talent, because he went into the military to support his family. I knew I didn't want to live with regret," Burgess said. "But I did wonder if I could be an artist, because I didn't see anyone like me doing art professionally."

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Helping young artists

While majoring in art at the University of California, Davis, Burgess learned about the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

"People say it sometimes like a cliché, but representation really does matter. Unless you have gone through that experience, I don't know if you can really understand that. To learn of these African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance who were thriving in the art world was amazing. I hope that I can be that representation for other young artists," Burgess said.

After graduating, Burgess focused on giving her talents to her community in Sacramento. Along with teaching art, she painted sets for theater groups, organized art classes for residents living in affordable housing and raised funds for museums.

"When you show someone how easy it is to create art and all the different possibilities that art provides, to see the lightbulb go on in their head is thrilling," Burgess said.

When Bowens and Burgess moved to Moulton, the duo worked with the Alabama State Council on the Arts Education to bring their outreach initiatives into the schools. COVID, however, interfered with those plans.

"If the opportunity presents itself, we would love to get into the schools or start having classes here for children. We would love to show their work here. It does so much for a young artist's self-esteem to see their art hung in a gallery space where the community can come and look at it. One of our goals is to impact the community as much as we can," Burgess said.

Since opening in 2019, Gallery 157, using a percentage of Bowens' commissions, has handed out baskets at Easter, stocking stuffers at Christmas, backpacks at the beginning of the school year and bags filled with art supplies.

"Art has impacted both of us so much that we want to always find a way to use our art to reach others," Bowens said.

— cgodbey@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2441. Twitter @DecaturLiving.