Mildred Howard facts for kids

Mildred Howard (born 1945) is an amazing African-American artist. She is famous for her unique sculptures and art made from different materials. Her art has been shown all over the world. You can find her work in major cities like Boston, New York, London, and Paris.

Her art is also part of permanent collections in many museums. These include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Oakland Museum of California. Mildred Howard creates art that makes you think.

Mildred Howard's Early Life and Learning

Mildred Howard was born in 1945 in San Francisco, California. She grew up in South Berkeley, California. Her parents, Rolly and Mable Howard, owned an antiques shop. They were also very active in their community. They fought for labor unions and civil rights.

Mildred has lived in Berkeley since 1949. When she was young, she joined groups like SNCC and CORE. She took part in protests against unfair school rules in Berkeley.

She went to the College of Alameda and earned an Associate of Arts degree in 1977. Later, she got her MFA degree in 1985. This was from the Fiberworks Center for the Textile Arts. It was part of John F. Kennedy University.

Mildred Howard's Art Career

Mildred Howard started her creative journey as a dancer. Then, she began making visual art. In the early 1980s, she started creating art installations. These were often made from old windows from shops and churches.

Her art then grew into bigger, walk-in spaces. For example, in 1990, she built a house from engraved bottles and sand. This was at the Afro-American Museum in Los Angeles. It was inspired by a book called Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. In 2005, she built a house made of red glass. This was at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.

In 2019, her work "TAP: Investigation of Memory" was shown. This was at the Oakland Museum of California. It was a powerful art display. It explored ideas about who we are, church life, and changes in neighborhoods. You can learn more about it here: Mildred Howard's TAP: Investigation of Memory.

Mildred Howard has also made many public art pieces. These are often seen in the Bay Area. One example is Three Shades of Blue. She worked on this with poet Quincy Troupe. It is on the Fillmore Street bridge in San Francisco. Another piece is The Music of Language. This is on a building in San Francisco.

Her art often explores ideas about home and belonging. In 2017, she had to move from her studio. This was due to a rent increase. This experience made her think even more about how neighborhoods change. She often includes social and political ideas in her art. She hopes her art makes people feel something. She wants them to think about the world around them.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Mildred Howard has received many awards for her art.

• In 1991, she won the Adaline Kent Award. This was for her art piece Ten Little Children (one got shot and then there were nine). This work was about the Soweto massacre.
• She has received two Rockefeller Fellowships. These allowed her to work in Bellagio, Italy.
• She also won the Joan Mitchell Award.
• She received an NEA Fellowship in Sculpture.
• She was given the Flintridge Foundation Award for Visual Art.

In 2011, the mayor of Berkeley, Tom Bates, declared March 29, 2011, "Mildred Howard Day." In 2012, she received a SPUR Award. This is a big civic award in San Francisco. In May 2023, she received an Honorary Doctorate from California State University, East Bay.

Other Important Work

Mildred Howard has done many other important things.

• In the late 1990s, she led The Edible Schoolyard program. This was at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley. It taught middle schoolers about gardening and cooking. The focus was on growing food in a good way.
• She managed an art and community program. This was at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. She created lessons to combine art and science. These were for elementary and middle school teachers.
• She has worked with young people in juvenile halls and jails.
• She has also been a cultural ambassador to Morocco. She gave talks there for the U.S. State Department.
• She has taught art at famous universities. These include Stanford and Brown. She also taught at the San Francisco Art Institute.

In 2018, a documentary was made about Mildred and her mother, Mable Howard. It was called Welcome to the Neighborhood. This film looked at how families face changes in their neighborhoods. It showed how these changes can affect diversity in places like South Berkeley.

What People Say About Mildred Howard's Art

Many art experts admire Mildred Howard's work.

Art historian Peter Selz said:

Mildred Howard creates rich and moving art. She takes everyday objects and makes them special. Her art helps us understand important ideas about culture and history. She talks about racism, unfairness, and kindness. What makes her art stand out is its beauty and grace.

Art critic Kenneth Baker described her work:

Mildred Howard uses many different materials and styles in her art. She uses photos, glass, and objects she finds. People often think of her as a sculptor. But she likes to be called an "artist." This shows how open and varied her work is.

Leah Ollman from Art in America wrote:

Howard has worked with combining different pieces and creating installations for a long time. But her true focus is memory. Memory fills her art with life and deep feeling.

Gallery of artwork by Mildred Howard

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  “Safe House” (2005)

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  "The House That Will Not Pass for Any Color Than its Own" - (2011)

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  "The House That Will Not Pass for Any Color Than its Own" - (2011)

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  "The House That Will Not Pass for Any Color Than its Own" - (2011)- shown here in 2020, installed at Battery Park City, NYC

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  Mildred Howard inside The House That Will Not Pass for Any Color Than Its Own, April 2022

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  Howard - 2022