IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Miranda Howe Howe at work in her studio.
Rey Berrones Photo
Howe’s repeating forms create large pieces that will be on display at the RMAC.
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By Vanessa Kahin Vistas Editor
t’s late spring in southeast New Mexico, and Miranda Howe is in a place where most would not want to be as the temperature is consistently rising to and beyond the 100-degree mark: a warm kiln room. Specializing in sculpture and ceramics, Howe will be the next artist to present her exhibition — titled “Stacked Patter ns” — through the Roswell Artist-in-Residence program. The exhibition will open June 15 at the Roswell Museum and Arts Center. There will be a slide talk that day at 5:30 p.m. and a reception to follow from 6-7 p.m. A warm structure despite its humongous fan, the kiln room is a recent addition to the artist compound as well as a silent reminder of Howe’s impressively artistic family. Her father, Tom Howe, built the kiln room that can now be used by artists from near and
far who are part of the RAiR program. Miranda’s mother, Elaine Howe, was instrumental in the creation of Roswell’s Creative Lear ning Center, which promotes and educates young children in the areas of visual and performing arts. Elaine Howe also served in implementing some of the CLC’s most enduring programs, such as the Legacy Project. “They contract with professional artists to work with fifth-graders,” Miranda Howe said of the program. Together, artists and fifth-graders create a work of art that is installed at their school. The Legacy Project has been known to be any kind of medium — from ceramics to mosaic, from murals to printmaking. “They’re leaving their legacy before they move on to middle school,” Howe said. “When you go into these schools, they’re just amassing
all this work that’s been created by fifth-graders over the years. “Our schools are becoming more art-friendly and artrich.” Howe has participated in the Legacy Projects every year for the past five years. Howe’s grandfather, Bill Wiggins, was a local artist — expressing himself through painting. “He was bor n and raised here,” Howe said of her grandfather, who painted from the 1940s until he passed away in 2012. Both Elaine Howe and Wiggins have been recognized for their contribution to culture and art. Elaine Howe received a Gover nor’s Award for Excellence in Art in 2009 for her positive impact on art education. Wiggins received the same award for his painting in 2011. Furthermore, Howe’s two brothers — Jeremy and Logan Howe — are both artists. Jere-
my is a trained geologist who deals primarily with rocks, minerals and even fire to create art. Logan works with glass and makes jewelry. “I come from a family of artists, that’s for sure,” Miranda Howe said with a chuckle. Although she admits she also creates functional items, for the purposes of this residency, she said, she’s focused on sculpture and ceramics. She creates works big and small, often creating designs on her work that are stimulating both to the sight and touch. Her most recent work involves creating smaller pieces and placing them together to create a structure taller than the average human being. “It’s definitely challenged me physically,” Howe said of her larger works. “I love that quality. I also love parts coming together to make a whole.” In this sense, she explained, her works are reminiscent of a quilter’s labor. The items that will comprise “Stacked Patter ns” come together in a unique way that alludes to the work of Howe’s geologist brother, Jeremy. “(The exhibition’s title) relates dually to my artistic approach as well as giving a nod to a geologic branch of study called sequence stratigraphy,” Miranda Howe stated in an email. “From the geologic standpoint, patter n stacking is the way sedimentary deposits are laid on top of each other over time, creating a related succession of information. “In my work, I'm physically making components that stack on top of one another, as well as incorporating a variety of surface techniques — like slip-trailing, silk-screening, using masks and resists and carving into the clay — in order to create layers of decorative patterning.” Howe grew up in Capitan, her family moving to Roswell when she was in the 10th grade. She completed high school at Goddard High, graduating in 1989. She attended Lubbock
Christian University, which did not have an extensive art program, she said, but it did offer many possibilities to create and lear n about ceramics. When she began attending Texas Tech University, she tried several other art forms; but always returned to ceramics. In 1995, Howe completed a bachelor in fine arts in ceramics from TTU. In 2002, she completed a master of fine arts in ceramics at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont. She’s completed various residencies; including one through the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Mont.; The LH Project in Joseph, Ore.; and a residency through the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colo. Most recently, Howe has embarked into the realm of teaching. She is a ceramics instructor at Easter n New Mexico University- Ruidoso, but returned to Roswell Dec. 15, 2012, to begin her residency with the RAiR program. Described as a “gift of time” by its coordinators and participating artists, the RAiR program was established in 1967 to bring talented individuals to Roswell and allow them an opportunity to concentrate on their work. “For me as an artist, coming to this exhibition, having the opportunity of the residency, allows the opportunity for me to explore the ideas I may not have had the time or resources (to explore) otherwise,” Howe said. Despite the fact she’s from the area and has shown her work to the community, Howe wants her audience to know to expect something different from her upcoming exhibition. “Much of the community here has seen my work, watched it grow and been supportive of me,” she said. “I want them to see a continued growth, a newness, an exploration in my work.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 | VISION MAGAZINE / 13