CV

VALERIE J. BOWER
Artist/ Photographer
Born in Harbor City, Los Angeles County, CA 1986

CONTACT
E-mail: valeriejbower@gmail.com 
Instagram: @valeriej.bower

EDUCATION
Non-Degree
2002-2004 Photography, Narbonne High School, Harbor City, CA
2012-2013 Photography, Art Center at Night, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 "Homegirls" exhibit and book release, Grab Bag Studio, Long Beach, CA 
2016 "Me & You" exhibit and book release, Mirrored Society Books, Claremont, CA
2015 “Sunday Shots & Other Diaries” exhibit at LAX ART, West Hollywood, CA

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 “Punx: The Art of Dead City & Friends” Beyond the Streets, Los Angeles, CA
2025 “Working Overtime: Basketball, Hustle, and The Filipino Experience” Tropico De Nopal, Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, CA
2024 “Fragments of Los Angeles” Les Recontres d’Arles Photography Festival, Paris, France
2024 “Nandito” Tropico De Nopal, Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, CA
2023 “Blossom: A Female Group Exhibition” Eastern Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2023 “Yesterdays” These Days Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 “The Space Between Us” Modified Arts Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2022 “From Phoenix to San Antonio” Altura Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 “Angelenos”Monster Children x Vans, Vans DTLA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019 “Araw Ng Mga Patay” Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA
2019 “Las Fotos Projects presents The Foto Awards” Wilhardt & Naud, Los Angeles, CA
2019 “El Zine: Contemporary Underground Archives” New York University, New York, NY
2019 “Que Chola” National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM
2019 “Los Angeles Fotofolio” These Days LA, Los Angeles, CA
2019 “Call and Response, When We Say… You Say” University Art Museum, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
2018 “Record/ Off Record” Fine Arts Center, Northern Kentucky University, KT
2018 “Daisies” Public Arts, New York, NY
2018 “(RE)ENTER, (RE)THINK, (RE)STORE: Healing, Love, and Incarceration” co-curator/ artist, Cal State University Los Angeles Fine Arts Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 “Mirame Bien” Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 “We Are the Romantic Ones 2” curated by Innocnts, Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2018 “Origins” curated by Red Hook Labs, Downtown Labs, Los Angeles, CA
2017 “Power” Eastern Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 "Las Reinas" curated by Originals Magazine, Substrate, Los Angeles, CA
2016 "Botanica" curated by Paper Work NYC, Complexcon, Long Beach, CA
2016 "Living in the Barrio" The Compound, San Pedro, CA
2016 "Here For a Reason" curated by Originals Magazine, Mi Vida, Los Angeles, CA
2016 "Por Vida" curated by Originals Magazine, Shadowbox Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016 "Hamburger Eyes Presents: Cybernetics" Slow Culture Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016 "On Ishton's Porch" Ho Yee Chan Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 
2015 "Teen Angels: Legends Never Die" Mi Vida, Los Angeles, CA

PUBLIC ART EXHIBITS
2025 “Girls at the Ice Cream Truck” Gloria Molina Grand Park’s LA's Still Works, Gloria Molina Grand Park, Los Angeles, CA
2020 “We Are Essential Mahalaga Tayo” The Music Center, For the Love of L.A. artist series,Los Angeles, CA
2020 “Valerie J. Bower: Zine Exhibit”, Los Angeles Public Library Hollywood Branch, Los Angeles, CA

SELECT PUBLIC SPEAKING/ TEACHING
2025 Artist panel, “Valerie J. Bower & Friends: Women Street/ Documentary Photographers who make Zines” Lore Leimert Park, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Artist panel, “Wrong Side of the Lens” Braindead Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Guest speaker, “Hyperlocal Visions, Episode 4: Valerie J. Bower & Melissa Duenas”, The Aja Project
2020 Artist panel, “Valerie J. Bower: Zine Exhibit”, Los Angeles Public Library Hollywood Branch, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Artist led walkthrough & talk, “Araw Ng Mga Patay”, Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Artist talk, “Que Chola: Artist Chisme”, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM
2019 Guest lecturer, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
2019 Artist panel, “You Gotta See it to Be it: Independent Publishing”, Cal State Long Beach University, Long Beach, CA
2018 Artist talk, “Record/ Off Record” Fine Arts Center, Northern Kentucky University, KT
2018 Artist talk, “Conversation: Tiny Splendor Press and Artist Valerie J. Bower”, Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Artist talk, “Mirame Bien”, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017-2018 Photography instructor, Unlock Tomorrow, Orange County Juvenile Hall, Orange, CA
2018 Artist talk, Los Angeles Photography Congress, Los Angeles, CA 
2018 Guest lecturer, Inner City Arts, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Artist panel, “How We Do It” The Main Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Guest speaker, Las Fotos Project class, Los Angeles, CA

SELECT SELF-PUBLISHED ZINES & BOOKS
2025 “Tropikal” photo zine, street photography, Philippines
2025 “PARIS/EU/UK” photo zine, street photography, UK & Europe
2024 “Philippines Street” photo zine, street photography, Philippines
2024 “JP17” photo zine, street photography, Japan
2024 “Heart of the Harbor” photo zine, street photography, Wilmington, CA
2023 “Now and Forever” photo zine, street, Los Angeles, CA
2022 “Tijuana” photo zine, street/ travel, Tijuana, Mexico
2022 “From Phoenix to San Antonio” photo zine with Melissa Duenas, street/ travel
2021 “TAKE CARE” photo zine, Long Beach, CA lifestyle, street photography
2020 “We Are Essential Mahalaga Tayo” photo zine, Filipino American community, Los Angeles & southern California
2020 “Oaxaca” photo zine with Melissa Duenas, street/travel, Oaxaca, Mexico
2020 “New Mexico” photo zine with Melissa Duenas, street/travel, New Mexico, USA
2017 “South West” photo zine, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, lifestyle, music, lowriders
2017 “Unconditional” photo zine with Sean Maung, Los Angeles, CA, street photography
2017 "Homegirls" photo book, Los Angeles, CA, portraits, girls
2016 "Girls L.A." photo zine, Los Angeles, CA, street photography
2015 "Watts" photo zine, Los Angeles, CA, street photography, lowriders
2015 "Sunday Shots" photo zine, Los Angeles, CA, street photography, lowriders
2015 “Blue Line” photo zine, Los Angeles, CA, street photography
2015 “E.S.” photo zine, Los Angeles, CA, documentary, East L.A. backyard punk scene
2014 “Miss You” photo zine, Los Angeles, CA street photography

SELECT PRINT PUBLICATIONS
2022 “Picture Us” AAPI Photographers, special issue, curated by VALERIE J. BOWER, published by Hamburger Eyes
2019 These Streets Magazine, Vol. 2, feature
2018 “Blue Line extended” monograph, published by Tiny Splendor Press
2017 Originals Magazine Issue 4, feature
2016 "By Word of Mouth" monograph, published by Von Zos
2016 "Me & You" monograph, published by Mirrored Society
2016 Originals Magazine Issue 1 & 2, features
2015 Los Angeles Fotofolio Issue #6, curated by Gusmano Cesaretti

COLLECTIONS
2025 “We Are Essential” special prints, Lowrider series prints, & various self-published zines Philip D. Nathanson Photography Collection, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
2018 “By Word of Mouth” monograph. Watson Library Special Collections, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
2017 “Homegirls” monograph. Costume Institute Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

SELECT PRESS
2026 “The Huntington Library’s Photo Collection Inducts Its First Filipina American Photographer in 2025” Web interview, LA Taco 
2024 Web interview, Razorcake Magazine
2023 Short documentary, Wrong Side of the Lens, Episode 8: Valerie J. Bower
2021 Print magazine feature & back cover, Monster Children Issue 67: Photo Annual 2020
2021 Video interview & feature, Angelenos Artist Studio Visit, Monster Children x Vans
2020 Print newspaper article covering “We Are Essential Mahalaga Tayo”, The Asian Journal
2020 TV interview & feature, Balitang America TV, ABS-CBN, USA/ The Philippines
2019 Print interview & feature, Anna Magazine, Japan
2018 Web article, Los Angeles Magazine
2017 Web interview, LA Weekly
2016 Web interview, Mass Appeal
2016 Web article, Juxtapoz
2015 Web article, Artcoup by Boogie