PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

          A Proud Continuum: Eight Decades of Art at Howard University richly illustrates Alma Mater's legacy of creative genius. Beginning with our first graduate of the Departrment of Art in 1924 to the most recent in 2004, the artists in this exhibition provide a bridge from the past to the present, and their achievements resonate across the decades. The primary training ground for African-American painters, sculptors, printmakers, art historiams, educators, administrators, and curators, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), have been in the forefront of develping and nurturing the raw talent of individuals who have distinguished themselves in the arts. Unsurpassed in educating African-American artists and scholars, Howard University and other HBCUs maintained high standards of excellence, often with limited resources, but with a commitment to develop core values and to hone the raw talent of their students/artists. Today, America continues to read the benefits of these graduates as their contributions to American culture is evident.

          Arts education at Howard Univerity began as early as 1871, only four years after the founding of the institution, indicating the importance of the arts and the acknowledgment of the necessity for funding art education early in the development of the University. This historic exhibition, 134 years later, reaffirms Alma Mater's commitment to celebrate the tradition--and its present, in high relief, many of her sons and daughters as exemplars in the field of American art.

          It is also appropriate that this exhibition comes during the centennial year of James A. Porter's birth (1905-1970). A graduate of the department in 1927, Porter served the University as Professor of Art, Chairman of the Department of Art, Director of the Gallery of Art, and mentor to the legions of students who matriculated in the department between 1927 and 1970. As an aesthetician, historian and practicing artist, he would be proud of his fellow alumni, their accomplishments, and this exhibition.

          The impressive list of Howard University alumni is long and illustrious. Many of these artists/scholars are known in the global community--icons of American art, and leaders in their respective disciplines. We are proud to exhibit the work of these artists, a sampling of former students over the last eight decades, and to invoke the memory of an inspirational professor who nurtured many of the alumni whose work are on display.

         A Proud Continuum: Eight Decades of Art at Howard University is indeed cause for celebration here at Alma Mater and in the metropolitan area. We proudly present this exhibition of alumni artists/scholars and hope that your appreciation of these artistic exemplars, and of African-American art, will be increased exponentially.

H. Patrick Swygert
President