Joseph H. Howard - Building The Dr. & Mrs. Howard Collection

Building The Dr. & Mrs. Howard Collection

Dr. & Mrs. Howard were both passionate collectors. She preferred African art, while his primary interest was in all things musical, for he not only collected the drums of many nations. He also collected stamps, books, photos, instrument making techniques and instruments to accompany the drums. He had a particular interest in the musical heritage of the Djuka people of Surinam and not only collected their instruments, but also acquired elaborately hand-carved furniture, including the double doors to his home. At first glance many of these items could easily be confused with African artifacts, but stylistically African instruments have become more utilitarian over the years. As Dr. Howard pointed out, to this researcher, during a visit to his home the Djuka people had maintained their culture in stasis due to the isolated nature of their existence.

Because of the nature of his profession, Dr. Howard was able to arrange his schedule to accommodate yearly excursions abroad looking for folk instruments, which he defined as being those instruments that the folk actually used. In all of his collecting he always looked to purchase the instruments of the musicians themselves, as opposed to acquiring tourist versions of the instruments.