Artist Highlight: Terri Dowell-Dennis

3 Sisters by Terri Dowell-Dennis

Terri Dowell-Dennis’s piece 3 Sisters is a powerful example of how meaningful art can emerge from everyday objects—like a wooden ironing board. Through a process of inking and printing, Terri transformed this common household item into a compelling work of art.

The piece draws inspiration from the biblical story of Job, one of the oldest and most profound narratives in the Old Testament. Remarkably, at the end of Job’s story, his three daughters are not only named—a rarity in biblical texts—but also receive an inheritance. The ironing boards represent the named sisters Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren Happuch.

Terri, a former art museum educator, studied sculpture and art education at Appalachian State University and later focused on sculpture and relief printmaking at Clemson University. In 1990, she began a museum education career spanning over 30 years, all while continuing to create artwork that explores themes of women’s history, religious studies, and Appalachian culture and traditions. The piece 3 Sisters reminds us that art doesn’t have to start with grand materials—sometimes, it begins with the familiar and ends with the profound.