Exhibition will run from July 19th to September 13th, with an artist
reception on July 19th from 4 to 6pm

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 UC Davis history; we are graced by his presence among us as he approaches the 50th anniversary of his arrival at Davis in 1958,” says Nelson director Renny Pritikin.

An inherent part of Howard’s ongoing research into the philosophy of art has been his own art making project. 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 accompanying 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 as critiqued, for its astounding breakthroughs and continuing potential.

Seymour Howard holds a Phd in Art History from the University of Chicago. He taught at UC Davis from the early 60s until the early 90s. He had a variety of pivotal roles, including leading the initial years of the ceramics program and the art history department. He is the author of some 300 publications, including twenty books, and many magazine articles, reviews, catalogs, and anthology inclusions. He has lectured widely in over 150 venues including the British Museum, the Louvre, the Hermitage, the National Gallery, and the Getty. Since his emeritus status he has continued to write, teach, lecture and consult.
For further information and digital images contact tjcummings@ucdavis.edu