Artifcts \ Articles \ LEGACY, PLANNING & MORE \ Bob Fowler's Legacy: Zoos to Pendants

Bob Fowler's Legacy: Zoos to Pendants

October 20, 2021

An actress by profession, Diane (Di) Fowler appreciates the fine arts. Today she discusses with Artifcts the legacy of her late husband, celebrated artist and master sculptor Bob Fowler, whose career as a sculptor launched in 1963 and continued until his death in 2010. His works span form—metal sculptures, jewelry, and mixed media—and continents, from private commissions to installations and shows at the National Gallery in Washington D.C., Fabien Galleries in Paris, France, Museum of Art in Trieste, Italy, and the Woburn Abbey, England. Keep reading to learn more about the Artifcts of his work and Di's efforts to preserve his legacy and reissue some of his individual sterling silver jewelry pieces.

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Since the passing of Bob Fowler over a decade ago, his widow Diane (Di) Fowler has sought to ensure his legacy lives on beyond his exhibited works, and as it turns out, she has the means to do so: the original molds he used to produce his sterling silver jewelry series. (And a few etchings and paintings tucked away biding time for a future reveal.)

Di and I met one afternoon at the EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens in Wimberley, Texas, where she volunteers on the grounds and helps young actors with their art, having spent years on community stages herself. Di has a love for the Wimberley community that leads her out day after day to contribute her passions and experience. But today we met to talk about her late husband Bob Fowler.

Di brought out a binder for me that contained only a select few of Bob's commissions. Paging through, she was jubilant in her descriptions of the works, talking animatedly about his design of two larger than life metal works for the Houston Zoo. You may have seen them if you’ve visited. The full-size African elephant welcomes visitors at the Zoo’s front entrance. The second piece is a gorilla, standing tall at the entrance to the Gorilla House.

These grand scale sculptures were Bob’s passion, pushing boundaries to capture the energy of the subject while also bringing his academic background to play in his rigorous research to create the original concepts. This same research shines in the factual, impassioned, and sometimes humorous descriptions behind each of his jewelry pieces.

Bob Fowler’s Smaller Scale Side – Sterling Silver Pendants

We set the binder aside as Di brought out a display case with 100s of sterling silver- and gold-plated jewelry pendants ranging from one inch to nearly three inches in size. Bob began designing these pieces in the early 1990s, each capturing the animated likeness of endangered and protected animal species from around the world. Magically, the miniatures somehow convey the same energy as seen in Bob’s large steel sculptures.

Created first in wax before being cast in molds, the intricacy of each piece and the personality captured shows Bob’s mastery of the wax art. Pairing the wax design method with Bob’s methodical research, each species carries with it a short description, a few of which seem prophetic.

For example, of the Costa Rican Climber (pictured below), Bob’s research spoke about the symbiosis of its survival with the state of world environmental affairs, quoting an unnamed scientist, “When jungles of Central and South America disappear and virus carrying insects have to find new breeding grounds, civilization will be exposed to exotic animal viruses that will make AIDS look like the common cold.”

These charms may not be the best known of Bob Fowler’s works, but they remind us of the care we all need to take to protect our world’s ecosystems while also sending his legacy onward through us all. Di told me she has begun seeking out a metals artist to pick up Bob’s work and bring the pendants to a new global audience. Select and view any of these pieces for a quick-witted education into the world of endangered species from the voice of Bob Fowler.

Bob is no longer with us to produce his art. My hope is that his jewelry will continue to be a tribute to his legacy. — Di Fowler

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If you’re interested in learning more about Bob Fowler’s work or in purchasing a piece, you may contact Diane Fowler directly at dihrufowler@gmail.com. Some of Bob’s other works are also currently available for purchase through 1stDibs.

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What's New at Artifcts

The Top 10 ARTIcles by Artifcts of 2024

We published more than 70 ARTIcles and Press Center updates during 2024. That’s a lot of information, ideas, and inspiration flowing your way. As we sat down to look back at what most captured your interest, we saw organizing and decluttering dominating, buoyed by preparedness and support, too, from Artifcts’ new QR code stickers.

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Whether reading for the first time or 10th, we hope you’ll enjoy this look back at the top 10 ARTIcles of 2024 and pick up a few reminders and tips along the way. Below we share excerpts from each and a link to re-read and enjoy.

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2024 is now a wrap. We look forward to seeing you back here in January!

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Curious for more? Take a look back at the Top 10 ARTIcles of 2023, too.

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Everyone is attached to their phones these days like they’re a vital appendage. And unless you are leaning over someone, you are not generally privy to what they are looking at on the phone.

In the case of this Arti Community member, she was checking and clearing out her Yahoo! email. In the process, she was sometimes clicking through on emails that grabbed her attention. One such email was filled with “Friend” suggestions from Facebook. To be clear, none of these people were her friends. And based on the profile pictures and names, as well as absence of connections to other legitimate friends, they should not become her friends either.

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Seeking to avoid this Facebook dilemma, I was reminded of vital attributes of Artifcts that further separate it from social media, especially for those with declining cognitive health. Artifcts means:

1. 1. No ads leading you down meaningless and potentially costly rabbit holes.
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Artifcts offers you bite-sized memories and stories. Your stories and stories loved ones have shared with you. We spent over 30 minutes together inside the Artifcts app reading story after story, her stories, and stories loved ones had shared with her. The stories evoked warm, safe memories and a feeling of connection with her loved ones. She added further color commentary to some of the items in the Artifcts. “Poor, Scotty, he was always losing his fur,” she remarked about a stuffed dog she's had since she was a child.

Old black stuffed dog toy with tartan plaid jacket

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We transitioned then from browsing Artifcts to me helping her to create a few new Artifcts for herself.

Research also supports that the art of storytelling and exercising the creative and memory parts of our brains, as when we create Artifcts, are good for our cognitive health.

Artifcts are like art, no two are the same. So while creating Artifcts can evoke positive memories, research also supports that the art of storytelling and exercising the creative and memory parts of brain, as when we create Artifcts, are good for our cognitive health. And, bonus, each Artifct we created was set up to be instantly shared with her immediate family members. Those Artifcts are like little gifts arriving in their inboxes – surprise – and become tangible evidence of time well-spent together.

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To all the caregivers out there, we see you and value all you do. We beseech you to sprinkle Artifcts into your days so you can just be husband and wife, mother and daughter, best friends – people first, patient-caregiver second. And remind yourself, every moment of the day need not be about what they need. Prioritize your health, happiness, and sanity, too!

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P.S. In case you have not heard, AARP chose Artifcts for its 2024 Gift Guide. You can browse the complete guide here.

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by Ellen Goodwin, Artifcts

December 13, 2024

HEALTH & AGING

Hidden Stories Behind Holiday Decor

In today’s ARTIcles story, we’re taking you inside the homes of our co-founders, both of whom celebrate the winter season with Christmas trees and an abundance of ornaments. You might celebrate other holidays with a different set of traditional holiday décor, and we bet it too has stories to tell of holidays and people of years past and present.

Whether you have holiday heirlooms, family traditions, or simple merriment guiding your holiday décor, we hope you’ll remember to take a moment to create an Artifct and share a story or two with your friends and family this season.

Step Inside the Goodwin Home with Co-founder Ellen

Our tree is certainly merry and bright. The ornaments include those from my own childhood as well as those from my travels and annual “pick an ornament” outings with my daughter.

This year’s tree decorating was unique, because my parents came to visit and decorated the tree with us. As we decorated, we naturally shared stories about the ornaments. It was the chattiest our daughter was all weekend as she oohed and aahed over her ornaments and reminded us of which ones had to be placed together.

	This year’s new arrival is custom artwork from Brittany Atkinson, based in Austin, Texas. The ornament is more of an investment than usual ornaments, but I love supporting local artists. The bold design and colors definitely won my daughter’s stamp of approval.
	I have a thing for nutcrackers, they adorn our house during Christmas, and they hang on our tree, too. I wish I could find more ornaments just like this one, a gift from my mom years ago. View the Artifct ->
	My daughter insists on pairing these sweet ornaments together on the tree each year. When she picked these out, it was the only time she got two ornaments instead of one to add to the tree. She named them Autumn and Oscar. View the Artifct ->
	A few weeks before Christmas in 2012, I had surgery and was on crutches. While laid up, I had the bright idea to make these gingerbread and gold glitter cutout ornaments. Just me at home with a 2.5-year-old and really really REALLY sticky dough. What was I thinking? I’m delighted they’ve last this long. View the Artifct ->
	Sometimes I just want something classic and clean. Last year I chose a candycane design with a traditional shape made of heavy glass. It's another nice pop of color on the tree. View the Artifct ->

And Now Step Inside the Nickerson Home with Co-founder Heather

Remember the Dr. Seus book, "Oh the Places You'll Go?" Every time I see our tree, I think of that book and smile, as our tree has evolved over the years to become a memory map of the places we've been and the adventures we've had year after year. Each ornament, although decorative by default, holds a deeper meaning to us, and brings back memories from our travels near and far.

	A beaded hummingbird ornament reminds us of our girls trip to Belize with @egoody and @vgoody "way back when" the girls still thought it was cool to travel with their parents. View the Artifct ->
	Our handmade Danish felt ornaments remind us of our visits to our family in Denmark and all the adventures we've had over the years with @Jeanet_Johansen. View the Artifct ->
	One of the older ornaments on our tree, my beloved Parsa Craft ornaments from my time in Afghanistan. Each ornament is handmade from the women that make up the Parsa Craft collective in Kabul. These ornaments have managed to survive multiple moves and two golden retriever puppies. View the Artifct ->
	This one always makes me smile! When COVID hit, our travels came to a screeching halt. What to do? We hit the trails and the mountains with our trusty two-person backpacking tent. Imagine my surprise when I found a tent ornament that was an exact match to our tent. View the Artifct ->
	Last but not least, one of my favorites! @Matt and I bought this ornament after our first trip to Iceland. It is one of the heaviest ornaments on our tree, which means we spend a great deal of time each year deciding which branch it goes on lest it slips to an untimely demise. (Which is not unheard of in our house with the dog and the children!) Sorry, this Artifct is private!

Feeling inspired? Take a look around your tree, your mantle, or wherever you keep your holiday decor and pick an item to get started. Simply snap a photo, add a short story and any fun details, click save, and you're done! Got a growing collection on your hands? Create custom tags using the Tags feature to quickly sort and search through your collection. Some of our favorites this year? #Ornaments, #Holidays2024, and #Cookies!

We're preparing our ARTIcles for 2025. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Share with us at Editor@Artifcts.com.

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December 11, 2024

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