Art Education Student Experience

Baker Art students have a multitude of opportunities for involvement in and out of the classroom. Small class sizes allow you to get maximum interaction with classmates and professors. Art students are also privy to a number of activities beyond the classroom. As a student of Education, you will also be engaged in many activities to prepare you for a career as an educator.

Classroom Experience

In preparation for your career as a teacher, you will work closely with advisers from the Art and Education Departments to engage in classroom activities throughout your time at Baker. Education students are in area classrooms, working with real students from the time they begin their Education courses through their final semester of student teaching.

Hands-On Experience

As a student of Art at Baker, you will have ample opportunity to create. With studio art courses and studio space available to students, you will have a space to work in several media. With the opportunity to practice various media and techniques in and out of the classroom, you will grow not only academically but also artistically.

Area Galleries & Museums

As an art student, it isn’t only important to make art but see the art that is being made by others. Baker students are privy to a number of art venues in the area. From local art fairs and galleries in Baldwin City to more metropolitan areas – Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas City and even Chicago, you can devote a few hours, an evening or a weekend to a short drive and lots of great art.

Travel Opportunities

Baker Art students can frequently engage in organized travel opportunities to observe art locally, nationally and internationally. During Interterm, Baker’s three-week session held each January, travel courses are arranged to visit destinations throughout the United States and beyond. This is an excellent time to visit major museums and see major works of art.

Study Abroad

The evolution of art and many modern art movements can be seen in the museums, churches, architecture and style of other lands. To observe art unseen in America, you have the opportunity to spend an entire semester, academic year or summer in a foreign land, where you can soak up not only a foreign culture but a new aesthetic. Many Senior Exhibition programs specialize in a specific field of study. The director of study abroad at Baker would be more than happy to help you find a program in which you can study art in your region of interest. Find out more about study abroad.

Senior Exhibition

As part of your Art curriculum, you will have the opportunity to plan and prepare your own show. Studio Art majors exhibit their own work, while Art History majors have the possibility of curating a show of others’ works. This capstone course is an excellent way to demonstrate the knowledge and skill you’ve acquired through years of artistic development.

Permanent Collections

Through years of generous contributions and University acquisitions, Baker University has acquired a considerable collection of artwork, including unique and historically significant pieces from different media. This collection is displayed throughout campus and in the Holt-Russell Gallery, providing students the opportunity to study, observe and work with influential art of differing historical periods.

Holt-Russell Gallery

Housed in historic Parmenter Hall, Holt-Russell Gallery is a campus gallery that features art by students, faculty and local, national and international artists. Students can exhibit their work here in an annual juried student art show. In addition, students work as preparers, curators and organizers of other art exhibits held throughout the year.

Orton Cone Box Show

Every two years, Baker University hosts the International Orton Cone Box Show. The show receives entries from local, national and international artists, competing in this celebration of ceramic arts. Cone Box works must be composed of at least 50 percent clay and not exceed $150 in value to be eligible for the competition. Each piece also must fit into an Orton Cone Box (3" x 3" x 6"). As a student of Art, you will have the chance to work with this international show and see varying creative and artistic visions from around the world.