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Rushern Baker IV

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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

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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

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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 he 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 Baker's 2019 exhibition 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]

Baker was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Kamala Harris.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Media, PGS. "Meet the Mural Makers". www.pgsuite.com/.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.
  18. ^ Kurtz, Josh (July 22, 2024). "Meet the Maryland delegates to the Democratic National Convention". Maryland Matters. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
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