Bio
VALERIE J. BOWER (b. 1986) is a self-taught visual artist, documentary photographer, and zine-maker born and raised in the Harbor Area of Los Angeles, based in Long Beach. She uses black & white photography to document a range of topics including lowriding, west coast culture, underground music & art scenes, concert touring, and travel. She seeks to show the qualities of everyday life that make people unique but also bond us together. Self-publishing over 50 zines since 2014, Valerie uses the zine as both a medium through which to share her work while considering the zine itself as the work of art. 

In 2017, Valerie's photography book "Homegirls" was archived into the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2025, a selection of zines & prints were acquired by The Huntington Library, making her the first Filipina-American photographer to enter its Photography Collection.