Owen Lowery is a Pittsburgh based interactive artist with a mission to create situations that foster intrinsic curiosity in children and adults alike.

 

His practice involves creating interactives that lure people into acts of exploratory play. He tries to bridge the physical and the digital using super cheap second hand materials that nobody worries too much about accidentally breaking when they touch, push, shove, or knock into them.

 

Owen prioritizes Universal Design in his work, hoping that all people—regardless of age, height, ability, or disability—may engage in a meaningful way. He tries to put adults and children on equal footing, making interpretation by both valid while encouraging them to explore with and learn from each other.

 

To Owen, his art exists within the situations he creates rather than the visuals, spaces, or structures themselves. The art lives inside the reflective moments where curiosity takes over, when a person pauses to wonder, “Is there more to this thing?” before engaging with an entirely new approach. It’s a small piece of that curiosity that Owen hopes they take away with them into their daily lives.

 

Owen recently finished an MFA in Communication Media Arts at Ohio University. Before his mid-career shift towards interactive environments, he worked as an animator and motion graphics designer in Chicago, IL creating work for clients such as The Second City and Conan O'Brien. He has taught motion graphics at Columbia College Chicago, has created online courses for Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning, and has volunteered with awesome organizations such as 826chi and GirlsRock! Asheville.