Author Archives: Bill Bowles

Painting ’15 The hardest thing to admit is that being disabled/chronically ill has meant that my art practice has been forced to take a backseat since I left RISD. I’ve put most of my energy into the struggle to meet my basic needs. I’ve had to leave jobs because I took too many sick days, […]

Sculpture ’70 I was an adventurer, an instigator, and an assemblist for 30 years; a maverick in and out of the studio, when in an instant, a brutal stroke took my left side in 2002. It was only then that I grasped the word “strategy” that a nurse had given me as a tip. Only […]

MA ID ’19 What is the equivalent of a cane for a psychological symptom? How does one create a crutch for persistent sadness? How can these objects feel stigma-free and desirable? These questions stem from a massive problem that is not adequately being addressed by society and the design community: mental illness and more importantly, […]

Staff – Academic Events & Communications People have a lot of misconceptions about ADD. They don’t realize that hyperactivity is not the only marker. You wouldn’t think that the quiet girl with her nose stuck in a book has ADD. But I definitely struggled with it a lot growing up. I’ve had a lot of […]

MA Architecture ’18 There is an oral test for dyslexia I was once given by a psychologist. The test consisted of a speed round of word associations. When he said a word I had to state its pair as quickly as possible. For example, when he said peanut butter, I was probably supposed to say […]

Industrial Design ’17 I am a researcher and a strategist with a background in industrial design. I am passionate about improving living conditions for people of all abilities. I focus on disability issues because I believe they are a gateway to a more inclusive and tolerant world. I enjoy getting to know the people that […]

Painting ’78 Walking is extremely painful for me. Once, a high-powered Elementary School Art Specialist, I pounded school hallways, arms loaded with reams of splashy paintings made by children. I stapled work onto corridor length bulletin boards, checked my watch, grabbed a waxed carton of chocolate milk from the cafeteria fridge, and took the stairs two or […]

MFA Printmaking ’15 In recent years I have become aware of my emotional and mental health limitations, experiencing paralyzing immobility effects due to information overload while interacting as a person of color on popular social media platforms. I am comforted by my recent turn to drawing and painting as my way of coping with these […]

Painting ’12 I am a painter and I have deuteranomaly, a type of red-green color blindness in which the green cones do not detect enough green and are too sensitive to yellows, oranges, and reds. This has led me to create works in which I limit my palette. I may at time use color but […]

Architecture ’93 I graduated from RISD with a degree in Architecture in 1993. Soon after graduation, I started to witness my body whispering to me, telling me I was on the wrong track. This came about after a series of anxiety and depressive episodes, as I tried to work in an architect’s office. Rather quickly […]