Mildred Howard: Celebrating Collaboration with the Muses Through Multidisciplinary Art

Renowned Bay Area artist Mildred Howard is set to launch her latest project, Collaborating with the Muses Part One, on September 21, 2024. This multifaceted exhibition series will be held across several venues, showcasing Howard’s vast body of work, including large-scale sculptural installations, photographic prints, film screenings, and multimedia assemblages. The series reflects Howard’s deep interest in the intersection of different artistic disciplines, particularly the ways music influences visual art. This project marks the beginning of a year-long exploration of creative expression and artistic collaboration, engaging audiences in a dynamic dialogue between music, memory, and visual narratives.

Highlights of the Exhibitions

The exhibition series begins at Anglim/Trimble in San Francisco with a showcase of “The Time and Space of Now: Moving Stills”, featuring Howard’s photographic prints that blur the lines between still images and motion. Known for her evocative explorations of memory and identity, Howard uses large-scale photographs to bring forth the overlapping themes of time, space, and human experience.

Another central piece of the series will be an installation at pt.2 Gallery in Oakland. This new work is inspired by Bill Evans’ renowned composition, Peace Piece, which has been a significant influence on Howard’s creative process. This installation will incorporate both visual art and live music, with contributions from renowned musicians in the Bay Area.

Additionally, Howard’s 2021 film The Time and Space of Now will be screened outdoors at 500 Capp Street in San Francisco on September 21. Accompanying the screening will be a partial recreation of the large-scale installation that originally premiered alongside the film at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. The film, with a runtime of 16:21 minutes, weaves together Howard’s reflections on space, time, and identity, further echoing the central themes of her sculptural works.

Exploring Howard’s Legacy

Mildred Howard has been a key figure in the Bay Area art scene for over 50 years. Born in San Francisco in 1945, Howard’s work spans a wide range of mediums, from installations and public art to film and prints. Her art focuses on themes of memory, migration, identity, and human experience, often drawing on her African American heritage and personal history. Howard’s work is celebrated for its use of everyday objects—such as shoes, keys, and chairs—reinterpreted to explore deeper cultural and social meanings.

Educated at John F. Kennedy University, where she earned her MFA in 1985, Howard’s artistic journey has seen her receive numerous accolades, including the Lee Krasner Award for lifetime achievement in 2015, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Award, and the Douglas G. MacAgy Distinguished Achievement Award in 2018. She has exhibited her works in prestigious institutions such as the New Museum in New York, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Howard’s work is featured in the permanent collections of many leading institutions, including the Berkeley Art Museum, SFMOMA, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to addressing socio-political issues through her art, while also celebrating the power of collaboration between different art forms.

The Role of Music in Howard’s Work

A key theme that unites the various exhibitions in Collaborating with the Muses Part One is the relationship between music and visual art. Howard believes music has a profound influence on the creative process, often acting as an unseen muse. In this series, music is not just a background element, but a driving force shaping the structure and emotional tone of her works. The installation inspired by Bill Evans’ Peace Piece at pt.2 Gallery embodies this fusion, as live performances by Bay Area musicians accompany the visual display.

Collaborating with the Muses Part One promises to offer a deep and immersive exploration of Howard’s multidisciplinary practice. The exhibition series will not only celebrate her decades-long career but also invite audiences to experience the fluid boundaries between music, sculpture, film, and photography. With its focus on artistic collaboration and the shared creative process, this project underscores Howard’s lasting impact on the Bay Area’s artistic and cultural landscape.