Claude Howell's Classification of Art Prints

Claude Flynn Howell was born in Wilmington, NC on March 17, 1915; the son of Claude Flynn and Jessie Nurney Howell. He studied under a number of Wilmington artists including Elisabeth Chant, Irene Price and Henry MacMillan.  He went on to further his artistic abilities by traveling to Maine and studying with Barnard Karfiol. At the Rockport Art School, Howell met Jon Corbino and Ann Brockman and after being awarded the Rosenwald Fellowship in 1948 he traveled to New York for a year, followed by a year in Paris and Europe.

Howell was only ten when he began receiving awards for his artistic abilities starting with an award won in an international contest. The New York World's Fair of 1940 exhibited his work and he was one of the first North Carolina artists to have work on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Throughout the years from 1959-1973 the art of Claude Howell was part of numerous competitions and exhibitions across the United States, including many one-man shows in North Carolina.

Prior to becoming a full-time artist Howell was a stenographer for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad for many years until the 1950s. He was first employed as a part-time instructor at Wilmington College (now the University of North Carolina Wilmington). This position was followed by a full-time position and the development of an Art Department and degree program at UNCW which Howell chaired.

In 1970 Howell began working on the art history of North Carolina; his memberships included the North Carolina State Art Society and the North Carolina Arts Council of which he was chairman in 1964. In 1975 Howell was honored by Wake Forest University with a Doctor of Humanities degree. Howell died in 1976.

Hewlett, Crockette W. Two Centuries of Art in New Hanover County. North Carolina: Moore Publishing Company, 1976. Print.

Note written by Deborah A. Edwards