In the Forest: Aliene de Souza Howell

March 29th – May 11th, 2014

Curated by Julie Lohnes, Curator of Art Collections & Exhibitions

Aliene de Souza Howell, Ursa Major Lost at Sea, 2012, linocut, 36 x 84 inches

As Howell writes …“ [her] work examines our interactions with each other, the objects we use, and the natural world. This is done through humor, personal stories, imagination, and conscious observation of how we affect our environment. By focusing on a more allegorical interpretation, it provides space for a more open and personal dialogue; a dialogue between beauty and metaphor, behavior and craft.”

Aliene de Souza Howell was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee by a Brazilian mother and father of Welsh descent, originally from Long Island, New York. She received her BFA from Guilford College and her MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Currently, she lives and works in Ridgewood, Queens, New York.

In addition to a solo exhibition of her work in the Mandeville Gallery, de Souza Howell will also be the first artist to partake in the Art Installation Series in the Schaffer Library Learning Commons, an effort to shift the visual arts from a gallery setting and into a public space. Students, staff, faculty and the public will be able to view the artist at work in the library, observe the creative process in real time, and informally interact with her as she creates. De Souza Howell will have four days to complete her artwork with the assistance of students, culminating in an artist talk about her experience.  The artwork will remain on display in the Learning Commons for one year after completion.