Howard Silverman was born in the Bronx, New York, USA in 1946. In 1972, he immigrated to Bristol, England to further his education and career in the arts. In 1974, he co-founded Artspace Bristol (now, Spike Island) and established himself as a painter, sculptor and mentor.
Artist, Howard Silverman was born in the Bronx, New York, USA in 1946. He was educated in the USA and received a Bachelor in Fine Arts at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1969. In 1972, he immigrated to Bristol, England and, by 1974, he was embedded in the local art scene and became one of the co-founders of Artspace Bristol - an international contemporary art centre featuring over 70 studios. The centre, now one of the biggest of its kind in Europe, was initiated with the goal of fostering affordable spaces for artists in an old Victorian building. In 1992, the organisation relocated to a former tea-packing warehouse and changed its name to Spike Island, which established a charitable trust and implemented a new system for reviewing leases. In 2003, Silverman received a Further and Adult Education Teaching Certificate from City of Bristol College. Between 2019 and 2020, Silverman was asked to leave the studio – a decision he found to be a ‘sense of betrayal’ after having been an active member of the community for over half a century (Morris, 2020).
Silverman's art practice is marked by eclecticism and is often inspired by the dynamism of urban life, a trait nurtured during his student days and later as a teacher. This approach fosters the unpredictable, allowing for the exploration of new realms of being and understanding. His practice is also characterised by an evolving continuity, where themes and ideas are revisited and reshaped by new experiences over time, underscoring the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of his art, and highlighting its role as a reflective and communicative medium. He understands his process as a dialogue though time and, regardless of the medium he works in, be it installation, assemblage, sculpture, printing, video and digital images, he sees the process as ‘drawing’. Moreover, Silverman’s approach revolves around a holistic perception of seeing: a sensation blending biological senses, including touch, with neurological factors and personal and cultural elements. He adopts a series-based methodology, working on multiple canvases or papers simultaneously, fostering spontaneity and embracing thematic variations.
Throughout the 1980s he exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Europe and in the USA. In 2007, Silverman created Plumb Line an installation at the Atrium Gallery at PriceWaterhouseCoopers' headquarters in London. The installation contrasted the concept of a true vertical with the dynamic surroundings of trains, the river Thames, and the office structure, featuring a steel 'bob' symbolising flexibility and inexactness, and highlighting contrasts and dialogues in precision and perceptions within architecture and reality. In 2009 Silverman participated in the group show Borderland at the Collyer Bristow Gallery, which explored the landscape as a natural, artificial, urban and wild phenomena via the works of 16 contemporary artists. Silverman presented his solo show, Reservoir at Spike Island in 2015. This wall installation of aluminium trays that appeared both burned and melted was a reflective analysis of the phenomenon of repetition and variation within his art practice.
Silverman also co-founded Bristol Printmakers Workshop (later Spike Print). In 1980, he was elected Fellow of the Printmakers Council of Great Britain and in 2017 he become an academician at the Royal West of England Academy. He has also received several awards, including grants from Bristol City Council in 1984 and 1989. In 1984-85 he won first prizes at the Avon and Somerset Open and at the Brewhouse Open. Silverman has also held several residencies, including at The Lowry in Salford in 2006. Alongside his artistic career, Silverman has also curated exhibitions, including: Artists First and Pulped, both of which opened at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton, Devon, in 2004.
Teaching is a significant part of Silverman's art practice. He has regularly hosted workshops and mentored younger artists at Spike Island. In the academic year 1984/85, he held a teaching fellowship in Printing at Exeter College of Art and Design. In addition, Silverman has designed, taught, and evaluated a wide array of modules aimed at cultivating self-assessment processes and exploratory structures. His teaching experience spans diverse age groups and abilities, including nursery children, mature BA students, postgraduates, individuals with complex needs and learning disabilities, and non-English speakers, and, as a Personal Tutor, he has overseen final-year degree students. He has also lectured part-time at Somerset College of Arts and Technology. He finds joy in interactive learning and takes pride in helping students to build confidence and achieve independence. Howard Silverman lives and works in Bristol, England. In the UK public domain his work is held by the London Borough of Hounslow, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Howard Silverman]
Publications related to [Howard Silverman] in the Ben Uri Library