Julia Bottoms

Julia Bottoms is an adjunct professor of art at Villa Maria College, specializing in oil painting and muralism. Her work challenges stereotypes by celebrating Black bodies and creatives through large-scale portraits that emphasize individuality and contemporary identity. Currently, her exhibit "Because We Should" is displayed at the Buffalo Arts Studio, featuring portraits that critique societal commodification of Black beauty. Bottoms holds a Master’s in multidisciplinary fine arts studies from the State University College at Buffalo (2017).

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Art, SUNY Buffalo (2012)
• Post-baccalaureate certification in art education, SUNY Buffalo (2014)
• Master’s in Multidisciplinary Fine Arts, SUNY Buffalo (2017)

Research Focus: Bottoms’ art reclaims narratives of marginalized communities by centering Black empowerment, using blurred imagery to symbolize interconnectedness and rejecting harmful media stereotypes. Her series combines heroic-scale figures with geometric metaphors to explore themes of cultural isolation and resilience.

Recognition: Keynote speaker at the 2019 ASI Professional Development Conference, 2018 NY State Art Teachers Association Conference, and featured on HBO’s Insecure. Her work appears in institutions like the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Artistic Practice: Bottoms creates murals (e.g., Mamie Smith Memorial Mural in Cincinnati) and collaborates with institutions like Albright-Knox Northland and UB Arts Collaboratory. She prioritizes mutual trust with models, photographing subjects herself to ensure authenticity.