Amy Bowman-McElhone

Dr. Amy Bowman-McElhone serves as Chair of the Department of Art, Communication, and English, Director of the Carlow University Art Gallery, and Assistant Professor in Art History and Curatorial Studies at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. A dedicated mother-scholar and curator, she integrates the university's Mercy heritage and social justice mission into her teaching, research, and community engagement through visual arts.

She earned her PhD in Art History and Criticism from Florida State University (dissertation: 'Freakish Student: Mike Kelley, Artistic Pedagogy, and Institutional Critique'), an MA in Art History from West Virginia University, and a BA in Art History from Pennsylvania State University.

Her research critically examines contemporary art through maternal feminisms, curatorial histories, and memorial ecologies, with specific focus on sectarian mural practices in Northern Ireland and cultures of care. She investigates how visual art mediates social justice, particularly through frameworks of mercy and maternal experiences, as evidenced by her ongoing book project 'Maternal Anarchy: Anthropology of Motherhood, Visual Art, and Cultures of Care.'

Her recent publications (2016-2023) reveal consistent interdisciplinary engagement with contested memorialization, vernacular museology, and art as social practice. Key themes include the political dimensions of ecological art, Latin American musealities, and Pittsburgh's urban memory landscapes, published in journals like Social Science Quarterly and Journal of Curatorial Studies.

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through significant awards and grants:

• Frances Ward Spirit of Mercy National Award (2021)
• 40 Under 40 by InWeekly Magazine (2019)
• Mason Dissertation Research Grant (2016)
• Beard Travel Award (2017)
• Rose Teaching Fellowship (2016-2021)
• Meyers Foundation Grants (2008)
• International Student Travel Grant (2008)

She has secured research funding for curatorial projects including the Anthropology of Motherhood initiative, where she serves as co-curator and senior research fellow. Her grant work directly informs experiential student learning through exhibitions like 'I Forgot to Laugh' and 'Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care,' bridging academic research with community engagement.

As Art Gallery Director, she leads curation of socially relevant exhibitions while co-developing the Anthropology of Motherhood project. This interdisciplinary team explores maternal experiences through visual culture, collaborating with Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Arts Festival and producing community-centered exhibitions that examine care ethics and social justice.