The work of one of Nebraska's most celebrated and long-respected artists will be on display at the Kiechel Fine Art Gallery from June 10 to July 22.
Dan Howard, born in 1931 in Iowa City, is acknowledged by the Museum of Nebraska Art as "Nebraska's most highly decorated artist," earning more than 100 prizes and honors in a career spanning more than 40 years. During that time, he also chaired art departments at Kansas State University, Arkansas State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he retired from teaching in 2007.
Along with the "Decisive Line" collection on display at the Sheldon Museum of Art, the exhibition at Kiechel marks Howard's first public exhibition since retirement.
One change retirement has necessitated is in inspiration source, as Howard is no longer working with students. He cites television, movies, newspapers, magazines and travels as inspiration for this new exhibition, as well as "conjuring things that are interesting and inspirational" in his imagination.
While the Sheldon exhibition focuses on his drawings, the Kiechel exhibition will highlight his paintings, the medium for which he is best known, said Buck Kiechel, the director of Kiechel Fine Art Gallery. Howard's mix of realism with his own brand of abstract makes his work unique to the gallery.
"Dan's more abstract and contemporary," Kiechel said when asked to compare Howard's work to artists normally shown at the gallery. "He definitely has a style within himself."
Over the years, Howard has worked in portraits, landscapes and comic works. The pieces on display at Kiechel showcase this dynamic and impressive artistic range, from the more realistic "American Gothic Revisited" and "Hail to the Chiefs: Full Throttle" to an abstract series of colored swirls called "By the Numbers." The majority of the pieces are oil paintings, though Howard says there will be seven drawings, as well.
Kiechel pointed out that Howard's following goes well beyond Nebraska. His work has been displayed in New York, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco galleries, as well as the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. More than 600 public, corporate and private art collections worldwide possess at least one of Howard's works.
"Dan has a large following," Kiechel said. "We expect a strong turnout."
Even with his incredibly diverse range, those attending the exhibition can expect to see Howard's characteristic large canvas oil paintings, great energy and vibrant, expressive color. Fans of Howard will recognize past themes in his sequel to the "Out of this World" series from 2007, as well as a canvas influenced by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
"If I think I can give a new fresh bent to it, I'll look at that inspiration again," Howard said when asked how the showing's inspirations and themes will compare to his last exhibition, which contained his work from 1982 to 1997. The new exhibition at Kiechel will contain paintings created from 2008 to 2011.
Howard is also known for prizing audience engagement and participation.
"Interpretation that a viewer brings adds a new dimension to the piece," he said. "No one can react the same way or interpret the same as I brought to it myself. Other viewers have their own sets of stimuli and criteria."
Rather than becoming frustrated with the infinite number interpretations, Howard welcomes it.
"I don't take exception — it's rewarding," he said. Howard also observed that interpretation differs not only among viewers, but with each time a viewer looks at a piece, as many viewers come back repeatedly and experience different reactions.
Kiechel agreed with the vital role of participation, saying viewers "keep on finding new things in the paintings."
His work is "hard to describe," Kiechel said, "but it's something that really needs to be experienced."
Beginning Friday, Howard's work will be at the Kiechel Fine Art Gallery, found at 5733 S. 34th St. in Lincoln.
cameronmount@dailynebraskan.com
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