Howe received her MFA in painting from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She had her first exhibition in New York at White Columns in 1987. While in Buffalo she served as Curator of Hallwalls, a legendary artist-run space started by Cindy Sherman and Robert Longo. She left Buffalo for a New York studio in the meat packing district in 1989 and became Associate Director of White Columns until 1995. She emerged as an artist while in this creative non-profit milieu in the early 90s along with artists such as John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage – artists also interested in painting a new figuration.

Howe’s work has been discussed in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Art in America, Flash Art, the New Art Examiner, and The Los Angeles Times. Her paintings have been exhibited extensively in New York, including solo exhibitions at Lesley Heller Workspace, LES, Claire Oliver, Casey Kaplan, Liz Koury, Littlejohn Contemporary, and Bill Maynes Gallery. Exhibitions abroad include Yukiko Kawase, Paris, and Thomas von Lintel, Munich.

Recent group shows in New York include “Animal as Other”, Danese, curated by April Gornik, “Pornucopia”, Allegra LaViola gallery, and “Desert in the Ocean” a multidisciplinary residency/exhibition with Irish and American artists. She had a solo show in spring of 2012 with Von Lintel Gallery, in Chelsea.