Exhibition - We Loved the Swag: From Black Bottom Until Now

We Loved the Swag: From Black Bottom Until Now focuses on artist Judy Bowman’s experience growing up on the Eastside of Detroit. During the mid-20th century, the eastside neighborhood known as Black Bottom was the heartbeat for Black families—a neighborhood thriving with jazz, entertainment, businesses, and community. Before Black Bottom was demolished in the 1960s to be replaced by the I-375 freeway in the name of urban renewal, men and women stepped out “dressed to the 9’s” with their heads held high and a personhood about them. According to Bowman, “There was a self-assured rhythm and undeniable coolness that’s powerful. I didn’t know it then, but I was witnessing what we identify today as ‘swag.’”

This exhibition reflects the flair, dignity, and pride Black men and women expressed through style and serves as a tribute to the Black community where Bowman grew up. Featuring new works and collages, the artist adds to a rich archive that illuminated narratives of Black experience that convey love, resilience, style, and community. The intricate and textured collages are inspired by and directly reference photographs of the artist’s family and time living in Black Bottom. 

Judy Bowman is a mixed-media collage artist and her practice centers on exalting America’s Black culture. Her use of vibrant hues, textured paper, and acrylic paint illuminates narratives that move beyond institutional racism and disparaged perspectives of the Black experience. Though born and raised in Detroit, Bowman spent many years living and working in Flint. Her work appears in private and public collections nationally and internationally.

Free and open the public.

Location: Temporary Exhibition Gallery at Flint Institute of Arts