University of Denver Spring 2026

ODDS & ENDS

Photo by Wes Magyar

The Art of Teaching

Since joining the University of Denver in 1987, painting professor Deborah Howard has inspired generations of artists and, in turn, found inspiration through teaching and collaborating with students. Her own creative practice ranges from colorful encaustic works to charcoal wall drawings; an ongoing theme is the transformation of familiar objects—in particular, worn shoes—into meditations on memory and emotion.

This past winter, a survey exhibition at DU’s Vicki Myhren Gallery, titled “Echoes,” honored Howard’s remarkable four-decade career ahead of her retirement in June. In addition, the School of Art and Art History presented a companion exhibition, “Journeys: DU Alumni Artists 1987 2025,” featuring works by more than 20 of Howard’s former students.

60

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026