Jack Lowery

Jack Lowery is a writer, editor, and educator whose work examines art, activism, and public memory. It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful reconstructs the story of Gran Fury, the art collective that emerged from ACT UP during the AIDS crisis. Drawing on interviews and archival research, Lowery follows the collective's posters, billboards, public actions, and internal debates as members sought to make urgent health and political messages visible. Bold Type Books published the history, which also considers how collaboration shaped Gran Fury's visual language. Lowery completed an MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia University, later taught in Columbia's Undergraduate Writing Program, and has worked as an editor.