John Baker:
CLASS OF 1973
McKinley Vocational High School 305Class of 1973
Buffalo, NY
John's Story
Artist/storyteller John Baker has extraordinary gifts. Baker¿s canvases are honest and
direct. They have a sense of the gritty. His works exposes his artistic talents while translating his
understanding and deeply rooted respect for telling a story. Baker¿s inspiration excites us, enlightens
us and reveals us.
This nationally exhibiting artist has participated in solo and group exhibitions with Rich Products, Nabisco, Buffalo International Airport, City Without Walls, Simon Gallery, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Langston Hughes Institute, and Gallery 53 in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Most recently Baker created a 16 x 32 ft. mural for the National Hockey League Buffalo Sabres. He stampeded Western New York with ¿JAZZ-ZEE B-LOW¿, a life-sized buffalo in the Herd About Buffalo public art project. Lauded for his Negro League Baseball collection, Baker has exhibited paintings in the Rotunda Cannon House Building in the nation¿s capitol in Washington, DC. Community and art leaders have strongly supported Baker in efforts to present these dynamic baseball images as potential U.S. postage stamps commemorating Negro League Baseball.
Baker, a graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo, holds a bachelor¿s and master¿s degree in art education with a concentration in museum studies. As a Buffalo Public School art teacher, he has been instrumental in guiding students to enroll in a myriad of high school and college programs, leading to careers in art.
As curator, Baker develops exhibitions, fostering collaboration bet...Expand for more
ween diverse institutions. Visitors experience interactive, educational programs for children, families, and people with special needs. Hands-on activities, artists¿ workshops, outreach programs, exhibition guides, activity books and teen docent training explore new horizons of inquiry-based learning. His projects yield inclusion, opportunity and participation. They recognize well-known artists, as well as providing a venue to increase public awareness of emerging artists.
Baker was honored with the Esprit de Corps artist award by the Burchfield-Penney Art Center for his dedication to introducing a wealth new friends to the institution, including artists, politicians, and community leaders. In recent years he received commendations from the Mayor of Buffalo, Buffalo Common Council, the New York State Legislature, and a host of civic groups. The Buffalo Common Council designated March 21, 1998, ¿John Baker Day¿.
Two sculptors for the public arts project Art on Wheels (¿La Art-mistad: Voyage to Freedom¿, Cleveland Hill High School & ¿US Rollin in America¿, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus). A painting was commissioned by Mayor Byron Brown reflected of his vision of the future growth of Buffalo from city hall window views title New Vision-New Buffalo. Limited edition prints were produced & distributed as an inaugural gift to locally and nationally.
¿Inspired by many people, places and things, Art is my all consuming passion, as an artist and a man, exposing my
inner-self to the masses. My work is born from my emotions, offspring of my life¿s experiences, always changing, always revealing¿
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