There’s been a lot of excitement in the arts community about the Oakland Museum’s latest exhibition. It’s called “Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory.” The works displayed span five decades of the iconic multimedia artists’ career. Mildred Howard was born in San Francisco and grew up in the East Bay. Most of those years in South Berkeley.
You might’ve seen her large bronze sculpture that looks like a piece of West African jewelry near Ashby BART station. She created that in honor of her mother and activist Mable Howard. She led a movement in the 1960s for BART tracks to run underground, instead of above, so that they wouldn’t divide the predominantly Black, South Berkeley neighborhood. Or maybe you’ve seen her bronze locks and keys installation in downtown San Francisco, which pays homage to union activist Harry Bridges.
Mildred is an internationally known artist with honorary doctorates, and she’s a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow. This is her first exhibition at a major museum. Host Jeneé Darden met with Mildred Howard at her West Oakland home.
"Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory" is currently running at the Oakland Museum until October 18.
