Gower currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where she is an Professor in the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.  She holds a B.F.A. from Syracuse University, a M.F.A. from University of Minnesota-Duluth, and a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Since 1974, Reni Gower has exhibited her artwork extensively throughout the country; including the Erie Museum of Art, Erie, PA; Villa Terrace Decorative Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC; Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, VA; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY; Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY; Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN; A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY; Anton Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami, FL; Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA.   Her work has been showcased internationally as well in Korea, Israel, Belgium, Peru, England, Moldova, and Moscow.  Ms. Gower has received numerous grants and awards including a NEA / SECCA Southeastern Artist Fellowship, University Faculty Grants for Teaching Excellence, and two Ford Foundation Grants awarded through Syracuse University.  Her work is represented in various collections including the Library of Congress Print Collection; Pleasant Company / Mattel, Inc; the American Embassies in Lima, Peru and Osaka, Japan; Media General, Inc; and the Federal Reserve Bank.  Gower’s paintings will be part of the collaborative exhibition between poets and painters, Pivot Points on exhibition in the Boyden Gallery, Montgomery Hall, October 20-November 15, 2003.  During her residency she will work on two series of artworks on paper, which will be exhibited in two upcoming exhibitions.  During her residency she will attend the Boyden Gallery exhibition, participate in the gallery talk at the opening reception on Wed. October 22, 5-6pm, and meet informally with students in printmaking and painting.  For more information on the artist:http://www.renigower.com.