a virtual reception will be held via our facebook and instagram pages on September 2nd. Follow us at BRGallery for updates and images!

the in-person FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING RECEPTION & artICULATE aRTIST tALK have been cancelled for this exhibition due to risks associated with the covid-19 pandemic. the gallery will be open during regular business hours (Tu - Su, 12pm - 6pm) for individuals or groups under 25 people. social distancing and masks are required.

Living and teaching in South Louisiana have had a profound effect on Michael Howes’ art. His observation of and concern for the changing culture, vanishing coastline, and endangered wetlands of the area are evident in his work. The flora and fauna of South Louisiana are the sources of the “Irds,” “Rugas,” and “Sects” that populate his drawings and sculpture. Using these creatures of his invention as metaphors, Howes expresses the vulnerability and the uniqueness of the people, animals, and plants of this region, highlighting the often unforeseen and unpredictable changes that occur in their surroundings.

Howes uses an array of colored foils and papers to create collage drawing and employs many different materials including bamboo, wood, fabric, fiber, and resin to create the sculptures. Depictions of the various Irds and Rugas, represent the lighter and darker sides of the Lac Boeuf world. A number of the sculptures are kinetic, using air currents to activate their movement.

“I realize how truly fuzzy the area is between what we know as "real" and the ever-present illusion. That precarious point is evident in deciding which part gets the color and what remains black lines on a white sheet of paper… I understand how substance is added to a frame, how the spiritual can envelope and seal us from the physical world , how it is possible at times to sense the two to be parallel as they move.” - Howes.

His work has been exhibited at juried and invitational shows throughout the U.S. He has also been invited to participate in international exhibits in New York City; Princeton, New Jersey; Beijing, China; London, England; and Florence, Italy. He has been an Artist Member since 1995. He earned his BFA in sculpture from Louisiana State University, and his MFA in sculpture and printmaking from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Mary Ann Caffery, Rosemary Goodell, & Malaika Favorite. All works from these three artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) through October 1, 2020.

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