perrilynchhoward.com
Perri Lynch Howard is a socially-engaged artist living in the tiny hamlet of Twisp, Washington. She reveals the impact of climate change through rigorous field work, creating immersive soundscapes and vast visual tapestries. Howard’s transdisciplinary practice is rooted in deep listening - transforming data into sublime, yet intimate, encounters with vulnerable ecosystems. Howard has travelled the world recording sounds in the environment (both above ground and underwater), investigating ideas around sound and quiet, and connecting with communities on the forefront of extreme environmental change. In her practice, Howard asks: What is natural quiet? How does sound affect our oceans and forests? How do we truly listen to, experience, and protect our environment? Art + Science collaborations form a core tenet of Howard’s practice. Her residency with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton at Canaveral National Seashore empowered a community to advocate for quiet, where a pristine lagoon and rocket launch site share the same breath. Their collaborative artwork debuted at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, accompanied by artist-led sound walks and community dialogues. Howard is currently a “Fireline Fellow” at Oregon State University, collaborating with scientists and researchers to convey the devastating impacts of wildfire on the H.J Andrews experimental forest. Soundscapes and visualizations from her field recordings connect people to the life and shape of a planet in flux.
Howard’s art has a global reach through exhibitions and sound installations completed in the United States, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, the Arctic Circle, and in South India as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar. She is a volunteer field recording ambassador with Quiet Parks International, and an avid adventurer.
Howard received her BA from The Evergreen State College, BFA from the University of Washington, and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Honors include a Puffin Foundation Grant, Artist Trust Fellowship, McMillen Fellowship, Seattle City Artist Grant, a Foundation for Contemporary Art grant, and multiple 4Culture Special Project Grants. She has received support from numerous residencies including the Montello Foundation, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Centrum Foundation, PLAYA, Willapa Bay AIR, the Santa Fe Art Institute, and the Arctic Circle Residency Program. Her paintings and drawings are represented by Smith & Vallee Gallery in Edison, WA and the Seattle Art Museum Gallery.