Valerie Lowder is a Black, queer portrait artist based in Chicago. She is inspired by the way the human face and body speak a language that is both universal and intimate. She deeply appreciates the way portraits are personal, yet speak to the collective human experience: what it means to have a body, a mind, a soul. Valerie centers Black femmes in her work. As a Black femme herself, she is hyper-aware that we don’t often have the opportunity to narrate our own stories. Too often reflections of Black femmes are a creation of misogynoir.