We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbara Baer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbara, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
When you walk by a public artwork on a sunny plaza or stretching up the wall inside a fancy hotel you’re enjoying the vision of an artist but also the cooperative effort of many others. Creation often stretches from the studio to a citizen selection committee, a structural engineer, steel fabricators, industrial painters, scaffolding riggers, construction workers, a steel erection crew, and , if outdoors, even traffic control planners. Nobody does it alone!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My studio is a place to dream but also to solve problems. Each project is a jump into the unknown, with passages where you don’t know what you’re doing or maybe not even why you’re doing it. It’s a matter of making peace with uncertainty. I’ve learned you have to wade through a lot of ugly before you get to beautiful.

Being an artist is an excuse to poke your nose into any subject that interests you, since you can always say, “I’m just working on an art project.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Walk the bridge from downtown to Highlands, go to Jazz in the Park in City Park, visit the Santa Fe Arts District on a First Friday, wander the Kirkland Museum or Buffalo Bill’s Grave and Museum, or look west over the city from the upper floors of the Museum of Nature and Science.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So important in my development has been Front Range Women in the Visual Arts. Formed by Boulder women in the late 70’s, Front Range began as an informal “consciousness-raising” group and rapidly morphed into a professional support group for working artists. This pioneering circle became crucial mentors and dear friends.

Website: http://www.sparkgallery.com/barbara-baer.html

Image Credits
photo of the artist by Steve MacGregor

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.