On Thursday, February 15, Professor Gary Baxter will deliver his valedictory lecture, the capstone to his thirty-seven-year career as professor of art at Houghton College. Baxter said that he intends to focus on three points: “things that go into making art, things that go into teaching it, and how you maintain the balance between the two.”
These have been key elements of Baxter’s career as artist and teacher. Having begun as a student of architecture, he discovered his fascination with art and became an art major, eventually finding his niche in ceramics. “I took a ceramics course and fell in love with the material, and I’ve been working in clay ever since,” he said.
Yet his interests also encompass other materials, such as wood and stone, as well as other mediums, such as drawing—an influence which, in fact, he has applied to his ceramics. “It’s all good,” he said with a smile.
Baxter’s lecture will address the “challenge” of the balance between this personal work and his work as teacher. “I have to be prepared to drop some of what I’m doing on my own time and spend it with a student,” he said, particularly because so much of his work as a teacher takes place outside of class, working with students and answering their questions.
Kimberly Logee ’17, a Houghton alum and former art student, observed this as one of his strengths as a teacher. “He is extremely knowledgeable,” she said. “He can teach you how to do pretty much anything you might want to learn in the realm of ceramics.” Baxter identified this as a key aspect of the balance: “They pay me to have some expertise too.”
Accordingly, in the midst of teaching, he continues to develop his own interests and knowledge, whether this be considering the unexpected connections between nature and glazes or contemporizing ancient art in his pieces. He continually translates his knowledge and observations to students. Baxter reflected, “It’s interesting to me that trees have within them most of the stuff necessary for making a good glaze—all you have to do is doctor it up a little bit.” He communicates this not only to art majors but ito ntroductory ceramics students who are just beginning to learn the art of glazing.
Logee observed the practice, noting that his teaching encompasses not only technical skills, but also conceptual ones. “Learning to think conceptually about practical objects like mugs and plates is difficult, but important for an aspiring artist,” she said, “and Professor Baxter doesn’t let any of his students avoid learning how to do so.”
Baxter emphasized his enjoyment of teaching, and that he often finds students inspiring, both art majors and non-majors. “We oftentimes develop ideas in concert,” he said, describing a process of comments and changes in which the student grows, and he finds “new directions” for his work.
As his time at Houghton draws to a close, Baxter was not apprehensive of retirement. “I’m very much looking forward to it. I’ll probably be as busy, if not busier,” he said.
Yet he reflected positively upon his time at Houghton. “It’s been really good, I really love this place.”
The lecture will run from 4:25 to 5:30 p.m. in Library 323 this coming Thursday.