FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Cultures H HOWARD TRAN, M.F.A. LOGAN A. RICHMOND ENDOWED PROFESSOR, ART oward Tran was born two years prior to the end of the Vietnam War. He did not attend school and spent most of his days making things in a shed that stored car parts and junk. His family of seven attempted to escape the country by boat. His father and two older siblings escaped in one boat, made it to Malaysia, and arrived in the United States six months later. Tran and his mother and two younger siblings, however, were captured. “After we were released, we attempted to escape two more times but were unsuccessful,” he laments. “My family was finally reunited after five years apart in San Jose, Calif., in 1985, through the Family Reunification Program.” After high school, Tran was expected to work at his family’s gas station. At the same time, he took courses in business and accounting at a local community college, finding both experiences to be stifling. “Then I took a drawing class, which felt liberating and alive — a similar feeling to when I was a child in Vietnam in the shed making things.” Tran couldn’t shake the feeling and turned that passion into his profession. He received his master’s degree in fine arts in sculpture from Boston University. Today, he is the Logan A. Richmond Endowed Professor and teaches sculpture, drawing, figure modeling, and ceramics. What is your favorite art medium to work with and why? I am a mixed media artist; I work with a wide range of materials and processes. The one material that I always come back to is clay. As a child living with my grandparents after my father escaped, I used to dig up clay in the backyard and create sculptures with it. I also like the earthy feel of clay. Why did you choose a career in higher education? I was a teaching assistant in my undergraduate and graduate schools. Teaching art felt natural and rewarding. You teach art, but you also share with your students the importance of understanding and appreciating diversity, and focussing on the positive side of humanity. All students have an innate, authentic self that is creative and good. I challenge students to peel back the layers of conditioning (from family, education, society, and culture) so their authentic self can emerge. Understanding how interconnected and interdependent we all are allows us to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of each individual as part of a global perspective. What do you hope to convey through your art? How do you hope your art resonates with others? My art is a personal journey, a process of self-discovery and trying to make sense of the world. The themes that I am exploring are identity, transition, connection, and suffering. My art explores my experience of living between cultures and the transition between cultures. I see myself as not just me but as the connection to my ancestors and future generations. I am interested in exploring personal suffering as well as global human suffering. LIVING BETWEEN 20 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2026 SPRING MAGAZINE
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