Dr. Lawrence Baker M.F.A., Doctorate of Humane Letters

American, born 1947

(not assigned)Cleveland, Ohio, USA

BiographyI was born in Jacksonville, Florida during the late 1940’s, where dreams were dangerous and notions of high self-esteem were deadly for young black males. In a published book (Middle Passages- The Artistic Life of Lawrence Baker by Louis B. Burroughs) I share stories of my torn relationships, the magnetism of the streets and how art became the canvas for my particular portrayal of life.

For me life became a series of calculations; any miscalculations would have lead to my undoing. My sometime successes nourished me. I chose art as my vehicle to seek out some of those successes. Though over a period of twenty to thirty years off and on of seeking higher education; I always made an effort to continuing learning in some capacity. Some of those steps of continued learning was a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Education, Masters of Arts, Master of Fine Arts from Kent State University, Kent Ohio (1989). I also was the recipient of a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Wilberforce University, Wilberforce Ohio.

Even while reaching for higher education; I continued on seeking acknowledgements for my art. I continued doing art to achieve as many successes as possible. Some of my early solo art exhibitions were: 1983 Karamu House, Cleveland Ohio Trumbull Art Gallery, 1995 Trumbull Art Gallery, 2002 Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield Ohio, 2003 Mississippi Valley State University, Ita Bena Mississippi, 2006 Alabama A&M University, Huntsville Alabama, 2007 Erie Art Museum Erie Pennsylvania and 2007 Cleveland Botanical Gardens Cleveland Ohio. Some of my select group art exhibitions were: 1982 Annual NOVA Painting Show at Cleveland State University Cleveland Ohio, 1984 Afro-American Artist Invitational Exhibition at Lakewood Community College in Mentor Ohio, 2009 Each in their Own Voices, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Ohio, and 2009 Andrews Art Museum, Andrews North Carolina.

I have been seeking acknowledgement for my endeavors into fine arts for more than fifty years. In a lot of instances I have sorted out those efforts through competitive international, national and local competitions. I have also tried through recognition from foundations with some relations to visual arts. One of my most recent accomplished was being recognized by the Pollack-Krasner Foundation for 2017. Some of the most recent competitions that was a part of are: The 33rd Annual Tallahassee International, Tallahassee Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee Florida, 2018 39th Annual Paper in Particular National Exhibition, Columbia College, Columbia Missouri, 2018 46th International Exhibition, Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts, Brownsville Texas(Third Place) and the 2018 61st Chautauqua Annual Art Exhibition, Chautauqua New York.

Middle Passage: The Artistic Life of Lawrence Baker
By: Louis B. Burroughs Jr.
Lawrence Baker was born in Jacksonville, Florida, during the late 1940s, where dreams were dangerous and notions of high self-esteem were deadly for a young black male. In Middle Passage, he shares stories of his torn relationships, the magnetism of the streets, and how art became the perfect canvas for his portrayal of life. For Lawrence, life becomes a series of calculations; any miscalculation may lead to his undoing. The success of this award-winning artist, teacher, Mason, and black belt with a doctorate serves as a stark contrast to his background.

Lawrence’s mother, Chilonia, a woman nicknamed Miss Secrets, single-handedly raises him and his three siblings on a cafeteria cook’s salary. He observes Chilonia’s elicit and tumultuous love affairs with men, while growing up in their run-down home. Outside the house, he and his siblings are free to play but they didn’t have to travel far to see “whites only” signs, or Confederate flags, or hear the word nigger.

As Lawrence grows older, he learns of and forms bonds with other siblings. One of those siblings, his older brother Lindsey, would turn out to be a terror and a savior. Some of Lawrence’s happiest times are spent with Lindsey, while they hunt wild birds, collect turtle eggs, and shine shoes. Yet later, his brother’s alcoholic rages traumatize him for years. It is Lindsey’s love of art that sticks with Lawrence for life. He eventually begins copying figures from Superman comic books. Soon, Lawrence carries his own drawing pad everywhere that he goes.

With friends being killed and jailed around him, Lawrence realizes there is more to life than street hustling and low paying jobs. After flunking out of college, his yearning for a relationship with his father takes him out of the South and lands him in Cleveland, Ohio. There, his father John, a street-wise military veteran, takes Lawrence in. Lawrence enrolls in community college on a quest to learn more about the medium that freed him to tell his story: art.
Eventually, Lawrence becomes one of the lone black art students at Kent State University. He witnesses the “Kent State Tragedy,” where 4 students are killed due to protesting the Vietnam War and pools his life’s frustrations into art more than ever. Those murders and others he is exposed to at a young age propel his ambitions forward because returning to his birth home is not an option.

A college professor takes an interest in Lawrence and broadens his perspective on various artistic techniques. Soon, those techniques become invaluable as he begins to experiment more and builds his artistic body of work. Only Lawrence’s family can parallel his love of art, and his artistic journey takes him to competitions across the United States. His early larger than life figurative paintings are soon compared to renowned American artist, Chuck Close. Still, Lawrence finds it difficult to break into mainstream art, where an unsaid racially prejudiced policy appears to be the norm. His efforts are eventually rewarded.
Middle Passage not only asks plain questions about the connections between Lawrence Baker’s complex inner life and art, but also probes the relationship between African-American social and cultural development and the purpose and role of art in the dynamic.

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