Seymour Howard has given a lifetime’s effort into shaping the art and art history department at UC Davis. As an emeritus faculty member he is a walking treasure trove of both the history of ideas and Davis history; we are graced by his presence among us as he approaches his 80th birthday. An inherent part of his ongoing research into the philosophy of art has been his own art making projects. First executed in the late 90s, Remember?:! is a meditation on the meaning and nature of democracy, presented here on the occasion of Independence Day 2007. Created during the impeachment crisis of President Clinton’s second term, the written work bristles with resentment and righteous anger about distortions and manipulations of the nation’s founding principles by politicians. The paintings parallel those distortions by showing visual manipulations of the flag. In the poetry, Jeffersonian rhetoric is held up for scrutiny in recognition of the rights of those not included in the founder’s thinking. Finally, however, the birth of the nation is celebrated as well for its astounding breakthroughs and continuing potential.