Rebecca Howland
Rebecca (Becky) Howland is a sculptor and painter based in New York City. She was born in Niagara Falls, NY and grew up outside of Buffalo.
She is a graduate of Bard College (MFA, Painting 1998), Syracuse University (BFA, Sculpture 1973) and is an alumnus of the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program (1974-5). As part of her undergraduate work, she lived for one year in Japan, studying ceramics, temple gardens, and the Japanese language. As part of her graduate work at Bard, she lived for one semester in southern France, where she studied archaeology, poetry, and the local history of the French Resistance to Nazi Germany,
She joined the artists' group Collaborative Projects, or COLAB, a 40-artist union, in 1978, and participated in the group’s exhibitions such as the Dog Show, and Times Square Show, and later (1984) served as an officer. In late 1979, she was one of the principal organizers of “The Real Estate Show”, which led to the establishment of ABC No Rio, a community center for art and activism on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
From 1980-83, Howland co-developed group exhibitions and performances at ABC No Rio, with poetry, music, and videos at the openings. She was the principal organizer of “The Island Show” which focused on Manhattan and Puerto Rico (1981). She made a large outdoor fountain, “Brainwash” (1982-83), in the courtyard. With Ann Messner, she organized “The Williamsburg Bridge Show” (1983), a group sculpture show installed on the promenade of the bridge.
Her work on oil, coal, and electricity has explored the environmental disasters that result from their production and distribution. She has a keen interest in nature and plant life, which led to a series of oil paintings on wild, uncultivated plants called “Weeds of New York”.
Howland’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and alternative spaces in New York, as well as nationally and internationally. Her work has been included in the many exhibitions reexamining the 1980’s in New York. During 2022-2023, her work on plants and gardens in both public and private spaces in the city was featured in the exhibition, “Life Between Buildings” at MoMA PS1.
Her work is in the permanent collection of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden, the Altoids collection at the New Museum in New York, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.
Black Hollyhocks & Bumblebees
1987
screen print
edition: 32, 7 AP
image: 30" X 16"
8 colors on Rives BFK
Hollyhock plants fascinated me, with their flower buds, flowers, and leaves all on the same lanky stems. They are ancient plants, and I had seen them in Japanese and Chinese paintings during my student days. In 1986, I made clay sculptures of hollyhock buds at a teaching residency in Rappahannock County, Virginia, and bronze sculptures of the flowers at a teaching residency at MCAD in Minneapolis.
When Avocet invited me to a print residency, I decided to focus on their color. I began analyzing the many colors in what are called “black hollyhocks”, with watercolor studies of the ones in the community garden on Laguardia Place. When I got to the residency, we discovered that Art Awareness board members, renowned jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell and his wife Thereza Del Pozzo had black hollyhocks growing in their garden, so I was invited to continue my studies there.
The process of making my seven color print was exacting, as each color required a separate screen that needed to be lined up precisely during printing. It was nerve wracking to pull a multicolor print. With each color, the investment of time and energy grew.
Luckily, the company was congenial. Richard Tobias, whom I already knew, was there working when I arrived. I remember his droll wit and charming companionship. Andrea reminds me that I brought my pet rabbit with me. Bunny was a white rabbit that I rescued from the nightclub “8 BC” when it had to close down. Jane Dickson and Charlie Ahearn arrived with their baby son Joey. I made ink sketches of Jane nursing Joey, and Joey crawling on the floor.
Each residency was two weeks - a very intense two weeks. This was a very ambitious project for organizers Andrea Callard and Jolie Stahl to create and maintain over many years, but well worth it, as it benefited many artists.
Rebecca Howland 2023