Clifford Owens (1971- ) is an American photographer, mixed media, performance artist, writer, and curator. He is best known for his spontaneous works centered around the body and includes interactions with the audience. He challenges the conventional making of art through his physically demanding performances. In these performances, he examines African-American history. Owens attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) then transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, from which he graduated with a BFA in 1998. He received his MFA in 2000 from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.