Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Though he is known as professor Howdle on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Bruce Howdle is also an internationally recognized ceramic artist, a private studio and gallery owner, a friend to the arts and even "Mr. November" to some.

Howdle joined UWP three years ago and is one of the driving forces, along with his colleagues, of the revitalized art department. Following the renovation of the Art Building last summer, the department has worked to increase opportunities for art students, replenish equipment and supplies, find ways to incorporate art into the larger curriculum and generally broaden students' exposure to artistic life.

"Bruce is an outstanding creative art teacher. He is one of the prime movers in bringing our art program and building to the wonderful level we see today. He sees and accepts no limit in what we can accomplish," said Dan Fairchild, chair of the UWP Department of Performing and Visual Arts.

In addition to the classrooms and studios of UWP, it is from his studio in Mineral Point that Howdle touches the outside world with his art. From Dallas, Texas, to Omaha, Neb., and all the way to the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Howdle is leaving a legacy of life-sized murals and sculpture. His latest mural for the city of Menasha is a six by ten foot piece called "Working the Locks," which will be installed this spring. His murals appear in airports and private office buildings, churches, hospitals, city streets, schools and private residences.

"I believe very strongly that art educators should exercise their connections with the outside world, both in the marketplace and in higher education in general. I think that helps us to prepare students for what is happening in the world of art," Howdle said.

Frequently, his work features scenes from nature and usually includes depictions of animals. His first commission was a mural depicting a herd of cattle for the Iowa Beef Processors in Dakota City, Neb. Since that time, he has shaped deer, buffalo, elk, fish, birds, havolina, monkeys - and pigs.

"I'm not exactly sure how that started, but my pigs have become very popular and it's one of my trademarks. In fact, that’s the piece that sits in the Pushkin Museum,"he explained.

Aside from pigs, his gallery is filled with scenes from nature, often of his Wisconsin environment. His panoramic bas relief works featuring fish and birds, deer and corn have also become his trademark.

"I come from a family of hunting and fishing enthusiasts - a farming life and very rural. Nature is where I came from and that's my resource and inspiration. That's what adds flavor to my work. I try to help students find their own insight into how they respond to a particular medium or subject. The sincerity of the art and honesty of the medium is what brings out the soul, spirit and energy of an artist, so it’s very important for students of art to find that for themselves," he said.

It took a 20 year labor of love to turn an old building on Commerce Street into the restored home, studio and public gallery that visitors see now. Howdle gutted the building and working from scratch, often bartering art for supplies, restored the building to a home and work environment which suits his taste for natural light, wooden floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows. In addition to a Frank Lloyd Wright window, an original Andy Warhol painting, and many personal artistic touches is a sketch, "Railroad Yard at Night," gracing a hall in his residence. Howdle created the work as an undergraduate art student, exhibited it at the Tri-State Art Exhibit, and sold it in the 1960s. The UWP alumnus who bought it recently returned it to him, thinking he might enjoy having a memento of his undergraduate years.

Following graduation from UWP, Howdle went on to obtain an M.A. from the University of Northern Arizona in 1974 and a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University in 1976. Since that time, he has been teaching and working, lecturing, and exhibiting around the country and the world. His passion for the arts has compelled him to seek outside resources for UWP and generally to become a friend to the arts locally, which is why Southwest Technical College acknowledged him as "Mr. November" for its 2008 school calendar. Starting from his time as the featured artist on the cover of Ceramics Monthly in 1980, his work has been discussed in texts, journals, magazines and handbooks through the years.

"Bruce has been a great promoter of our art program, and I know he and his colleagues are doing wonderful work with our students. Our faculty are helping people understand that you don't necessarily have to be a 'grand' donor to become a supporter of the arts. The students are excited by the renovated building and the upgrades and supplies we've been able to purchase with outside donations. If we can generate more interest like we've had over the past couple of years, we will be able to address some of our larger and long-term needs, creating a truly revitalized program and wonderful opportunities for the future," said Liz Goodfellow, director of development, major gifts, for the UWP Foundation and College of Liberal Arts and Education.

Anyone interested in learning more about the many programs offered through the UWP Performing and Visual Arts may contact Fairchild at (608) 342-1123 or fairchig@uwplatt.edu. Anyone interested in learning more about Howdle's work may contact him at (608) 342-1228 or howdleb@uwplatt.edu. Anyone interested in learning how to offer support to the UWP art program may contact Goodfellow at (608) 342-1034 or goodfellowe@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Dan Fairchild, chair, UWP Department of Performing and Visual Arts, (608) 342-1123, fairchig@uwplatt.edu Written by: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu