Pierre Bowins

Pierre Bowins serves as Assistant Professor in Studio Arts at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, bringing over twenty years of professional design experience to his academic role. With 25 years previously spent as an in-house designer at a community college, he transitioned to teaching after recognizing gaps in students' foundational design knowledge.

His scholarly work centers on rediscovering the Black American design diaspora that has been systematically omitted from traditional design history curricula. As a self-proclaimed design historian and collector of Black design artifacts, Bowins has built an extensive archive of works by notable Black designers that he exhibits at educational institutions nationwide.

Bowins co-authored the groundbreaking online course 'BIPOC Design History: Black Design in America: African Americans and the African Diaspora in Graphic Design' alongside Tasheka Arceneaux-Sutton and Silas Munro. He recently signed a contract with Princeton University Press to publish a book based on this course, which he describes as 'the first book published on this subject.'

Holding an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, his research journey began with his thesis 'A Sin of Omission' which exposed how educational systems lacked equity in presenting design history. He advocates for transforming design education from merely 'international' (Eurocentric) to truly 'global' by incorporating diverse cultural perspectives.

His teaching philosophy emphasizes reciprocity where 'we learn and grow from each other,' helping students discover their identity as designers while mastering fundamentals. Currently focused on completing his book manuscript, Bowins continues to lecture at conferences and institutions about the importance of inclusive design history.