Anthony Jay Howell — Mr. Mom, artist, educator, a man who saw beauty in the landscape and whose approach to life was “live immediately”— died Wednesday afternoon, September 18, 2019, in Tucson. He was 66
Born in Oklahoma City to Fernon Nichols Howell and AJ Howell. Anthony studied architecture and art at the University of Oklahoma where he graduated with a BFA. He loved Sooner football. Anthony’s drawings and paintings exhibit an exploration of the marks material make and it was his love of mark making that lead him to graduate from Pratt Institute, New York City, with a MFA. At Pratt, he studied under minimalist Kent Floeter, who became mentor, friend and his daughter’s godfather.
Moving to Silver City in 1989, Anthony started his teaching career at Western New Mexico University. With Rick Miller, Anthony hosted the annual Cielo Encantado, a kite festival that honored Silver City’s Robert Ingraham, American Kitefliers Association founder and Anthony’s friend. He often traveled with his children and his large handmade kites to go “Fishing for Angels.” Hiking to remote vistas and exploring the places less visited was Anthony’s happy place. Photographing the vast grandeur of the American Southwest deserts lead him to explore the prehistoric Mimbreño culture, especially the Archaic, Jornada and Mogollon petroglyphs. Anthony grew to be a resource and acted as a volunteer for Bureau of Land Management site assessment teams. He helped document sites with anthropologists and archaeologists like Dr. Jane Kelly of the Three Rivers sites, Dr. Kay Sutherland of the Hueco Tanks site, and rock art researcher Dr. J.J. Brody who authored Mimbres Painted Pottery which sports one of Anthony’s photos on its cover. With WNMU Museum director and archaeologist, Dr. Cynthia Bettison, he photographed the NAN Ranch and Eisele Collections. Anthony’s work lives on in many collections around the world, and two pieces hang in the New Mexico Capitol Art Collection.
Anthony served his community as an Aldo Leopold Charter School founder, Guadalupe Montessori board member, Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces board member, Community Access Television of Silver (CATS TV) board member and St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church member.
Anthony was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife of 40 years, Laura Howell; his brother, Kevin Howell and wife Tracy; by two daughters, Anna Howell with husband Sean Rees and Lucille Eby with husband Trent Eby; one grandson, Warren Eby, and an expected granddaughter. His quirky humor and love of Christmas will be missed.
The family is planning a celebration of Anthony Howell’s life on October 5 at 3 p.m. in the Seedboat Center for the Arts, 214 W. Yankee Street, Silver City, NM. Memorial contributions may be made to the WNMU Foundation for the University Museum, P.O. Box 1158, Silver City, NM 88062. Online giving is available at foundation.wnmu.edu or by calling Kacie at 575-538-6310.