The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) has opened "Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory," the first major retrospective of Oakland-based artist Mildred Howard, running from June 12 to October 11. The exhibition fills the Great Hall with installations, found-object sculptures, archival materials, audio and video recordings, and new works spanning five decades, exploring themes of history, memory, protest, and hope. Howard, born in 1945, grew up surrounded by art and activism in the East Bay, and her career includes a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Art, teaching at Stanford University and the San Francisco Art Institute, and works in permanent collections at OMCA, SFMOMA, and the de Young Museum.
The retrospective is significant because it positions Howard as a major voice in contemporary American art at a politically charged moment. Howard explicitly addresses the current administration through works like "What Came First" (2007), a miniature U.S. Capitol mounted by a giant chicken, criticizing presidential bullying and the erosion of rights. The exhibition demonstrates how Howard's five-decade practice—rooted in African American folk culture, civil rights, and global politics—remains urgently relevant, using memory and material culture to protest and inspire hope. It also highlights OMCA's commitment to showcasing local, historically engaged artists in a major institutional setting.