MICHAEL W. HOWES

Michael w. Howes is a native and resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received the B.F.A from Louisiana State University and the M.F.A in sculpture from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Retiring after 30 years of teaching art in Louisiana universities, Howes continues to complete commissions for private residences and public settings. In collaboration with other sculptors and designers, he has also created public art works in the cities of Covington, Franklin, Monroe, and Thibodaux, Louisiana. 

Living and teaching in South Louisiana have had a profound effect on Howes’ art. His observation of and concern for the changing culture, vanishing coastline, and endangered wetlands of the area are evident in his work. The flora and fauna of South Louisiana are the sources of the “Irds,” “Rugas,” and “Sects” that populate his drawings and sculpture. Using these creatures of his invention as metaphors, Howes expresses the vulnerability and the uniqueness of the people, animals, and plants of this unique region, highlighting the often unforeseen and unpredictable changes that occur in their surroundings.

In one of his most recent series of works, known as the Lac Boeuf Assemblage Group (the L-BAG drawings and sculptures), Howes uses an array of colored foils and papers to create collage drawing and employs many different materials including bamboo, wood, fabric, fiber, and resin to create the sculptures. Depictions of the various Irds and Rugas, represent the lighter and darker sides of the Lac Boeuf world. A number of the sculptures are kinetic, using air currents to activate their movement. 

Howes also works in cast and fabricated metals. His work has been exhibited at juried and invitational shows throughout the U.S. He has also been invited to participate in international exhibits in New York City; Princeton, New Jersey; Beijing, China; London, England; and Florence, Italy.
 

Artist Member since 1995

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (SCULPTURE), LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

MASTER OF FINE ARTS (SCULPTURE AND PRINTMAKING), UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, TUSCALOOSA

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