Rushern Baker IV

Rushern "Rush" Baker IV[1] (born September 10, 1987) is an American painter and past candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 22 in Prince George's County.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Baker was born in Washington, DC on September 10, 1987, to Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III[2] and the former Christa Beverly.[5] When he was four years old, his family moved to Cheverly, Maryland. Baker attended Prince George's County public schools and graduated from Suitland High School in Forestville, Maryland. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cooper Union in 2009 and a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting/printmaking from Yale University in 2012,[6] where he was awarded the Elizabeth Canfield Hicks Award for outstanding achievement in drawing or painting from nature.[7]

Career

After graduating from Yale, Baker moved back to Prince George's County. He is a self-employed artist whose work is greatly influenced by politics,[4] and have been described as being "heavily influenced by author Octavia Butler’s Afrofuturist novels, most notably Parable of the Sower."[8] In a 2013 interview, he said “I want my paintings to generate a discourse around policy, especially foreign policy."[9] Baker's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions in Maryland, DC, New York, Connecticut, California, North Carolina, Dubai, and Japan,[10][7] and is currently a lecturer at the University of Maryland[11] on drawing and two-dimensional design. Baker previously coordinated a publicly funded mobile arts program for youth. He is a former artist-in-residence at 39th Street Gallery, a part of The Gateway Arts Center in Brentwood, Maryland.[12]

In discussing his most recent exhibition in 2019 at Washington, DC's Hemphill Fine Arts, the reviewing art critic asserted that "Baker’s energetic and frenetic abstractions invoke a range of concerns, from the perils of living while black and the widening income gap to the proliferation of alternative facts and weaponized technology."[13]

In June 2022, Baker took over as campaign manager of his father's gubernatorial campaign after his previous campaign manager, Andrew Mallinoff, stepped down.[14] His father suspended his campaign later that month.[15] In January 2023, Baker filed to run for the nomination to fill the vacancy left by Alonzo T. Washington in District 22 of the Maryland House of Delegates.[16] On February 8, after Washington endorsed Baker's opponent Ashanti Martinez, Baker announced that he would no longer run for the vacancy.[17]

References
  1. Media, PGS. "Meet the Mural Makers". www.pgsuite.com/.
  2. Spivack, Miranda (2013-10-02). "Rushern Baker, delegate? Or is that the county executive running for another office?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  3. Kunkle, Frederick (2014-06-25). "Md. Senate minority leader David Brinkley ousted; most other veteran lawmakers survive". The Washington Post.
  4. "Painting Politics: Rushern Baker IV Enters District 22 Race". Hyattsville, MD Patch. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  5. Hernández, Arelis (2018-11-30). "Rushern Baker's stubborn focus helped transform Prince George's County". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  6. "Artist - BAKER IV RUSHERN - Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery - Contemporary Art". www.zidoun-bossuyt.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  7. "Rushern Baker IV - Artists - Hemphill Fine Arts". www.hemphillfinearts.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  8. Wimberly, Dexter (2019-04-22). "Visions of Urgent Abstraction". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  9. "Son of P.G. County Exec Baker Expresses World View through Art". Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  10. Jenkins, Mark (2013-12-27). "D.C. gallery shows: 'Curio,' 'The Straight,' 'Color, Earth, Andes' and more". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  11. "Art Works Now "Drink and Draw Hullabaloo" Fundraiser | East City Art". www.eastcityart.com. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  12. "Another Baker Throws His Hat into the Ring". Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  13. "Post-World Politics: Rushern Baker IV's Bold Abstractions are Fraught with Urgency and Anxiety". 27 April 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  14. DePuyt, Bruce; Gaines, Danielle; Kurtz, Josh (June 1, 2022). "Political Notes: Brown Snags AFSCME Backing, MPT Debate Announced, New Role for Baker Campaign Chief, and More". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  15. DePuyt, Bruce (June 10, 2022). "Rushern Baker Suspends Gubernatorial Campaign, Will Likely Endorse a Democratic Rival Soon". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  16. Ford, William J. (January 27, 2023). "Baker, Martinez to seek District 22 House seat in Prince George's County". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  17. Beachum, Lateshia (February 8, 2023). "Ashanti Martinez is poised to join Pr. George's statehouse delegation". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
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