Phyllis Bowdwin

Phyllis Bowdwin learned gold leafing, mask making, and filigree in the Ivory Coast, inlaying in Taxco, Mexico, and jewelry making at Parsons School of Design, the Crafts Students League, and the Educational Alliance. She has taught courses in jewelry and has exhibited at several museums and cultural centers. Bowdwin is inspired by her African background. She combines traditional African craft techniques with contemporary influences and experiments with organic materials, such as wood, amber, bone, and cowrie shell, combining them with precious metals. Bowdwin is best known for creating the Middle Passage African Holocaust Pin, which she claims is a history lesson and a memory of the African American legacy.