R.C. BAKER
TEXT AND TALKS
2021–present Editor In Chief of The Village Voice
2011–present Visiting critic, New York University Steinhardt MFA program in Studio Art
2018–2020 Senior Editor and Archivist at The Village Voice
1994 -2018 Author of articles on art, politics, sports, and popular culture for The Village Voice, The Voice Literary Supplement, The New York Times, Performing Arts Journal, and other publications
2022 Zoom presentation of Voices Beyond—a 25-minute video covering the history of The Village Voice within a general overview of postwar journalism and culture in New York City—to a class of international naval officers in residence at the Naval War College in Newport, RI.
2014 Delivered talk, Cold War Gray, at Bulgaria's National Gallery of Art in Sofia. With historical context provided by such imagery as classic surrealist paintings, Soviet propaganda photographs, and 1970s album covers, I explored the complex themes and aesthetic concepts surrounding American artist Brian Dailey’s photo collages.
2012 "Moving Words"
Lecture on convergence of themes in 1960s film, including avant-garde shorts, the Zapruder home movie, the Batman TV series, and Godard's "Sympathy for the Devil"
23rd Summer Festival, Bol, Croatia
2010 “Illuminating the Text”
Lecture on artists who use text in visual art, with a video projection of my work in progress “President: ‘Why?’ ”
Molly Barnes Brown Bag Lecture Series, The Roger Smith Hotel, NYC
2010 “Illuminating the Text”
Gallery talk on works combining art and text, including my book “The Terminal Century,” in conjunction with the exhibit “Disciplined Spontaneity”
Zone: Contemporary Art, NYC
2008 Commentator for the Ovation channel documentary “Jeff Koons: Made in Heaven”
2008 Panelist on the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Art’s review of the Whitney Biennial
National Academy Museum, NYC
2008 Juror on panel selecting group shows proposed by emerging curators
NURTUREart, Brooklyn, New York
2006 Panelist, “Manhattan Transfer,” exhibition discussion of artists’ working conditions and inspirations in New York City and surrounding areas
Zone Chelsea Gallery, NYC
2005 Village Voice preview of “Come to Crumbland / R. Crumb & Robert Hughes: A Conversation” read by library president Paul LeClerc to introduce the underground cartoonist and the art critic at “Live from the NYPL” event
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYC
2004 Moderator for panel “The Future of the Graphic Novel”
New York Is Book Country, New York University, NYC
1996 Panelist, Contemporary Artists Talk on Art
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 “Noise for Signal”
Baahng Gallery, NYC
2009 “. . . and Nixon coming” / The Draft
Zone: Contemporary Art, NYC
2002 “The Terminal Century”
The Center for Book Arts, NYC
1996 “Recrudescence”
The Agouti, NYC
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 "True Grit"
Baahng Gallery, NYC
2012 One of various writers collaborating on Christian Jankowski's installation, "Review"
Friedrich Petzel Gallery, NYC
2012 "Lovely Days / Video Days," video projection of work-in-progress, "President: 'Why?' "
23rd Summer Festival, Bol, Croatia
2010 “Disciplined Spontaneity”
Zone: Contemporary Art, NYC
2004 “The Art Connection: Art for Public Spaces”
Meyerhoff Gallery, The Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2003 “ExSpace Book Project”
The Knitting Factory, NYC
2000 “Perimeters: Painting”
LICK Gallery, Long Island City, NY
1999 “Outer Boroughs”
White Columns, NYC
1999 “Paper View”
Lincoln Center Gallery, Fordham University, NYC
1999 “5th Annual Juried Exhibition”
St. John’s University, NYC
1996 “Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture”
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
1996 “Digital Elements”
St. John’s University, NYC
1995 “Printwork 95”
1993 “New Directions 93”
1991 “New Directions 91”
Barrett House Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY
1989 “Selections 47”
The Drawing Center, NYC
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1994 Commissioned by Local 2110 to create installation commemorating 10 years of union organizing by
the United Auto Worker’s Technical, Office, and Professional branch
Amalgamated Lithographer’s Building, NYC
1992 Commissioned to create paintings and drawings for Ang Lee’s
“The Wedding Banquet,” 1994 Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film
1991 Designed title graphics for Hal Hartley’s short feature, “Theory of Achievement”
1989 Designed title graphics for Hal Hartley’s feature film, “The Unbelievable Truth”
AWARDS
2016 Arts Writers Grant
Creative Capital | Andy Warhol Foundation
1990 Painting Fellowship
New York Foundation for the Arts
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Noise For Signal"
Pac Pobric, The Village Voice, June 13, 2018
"R.C. Baker: " . . . and Nixon coming" | the draft"
Emily Warner, The Brooklyn Rail, April 2- May 30, 2009
"Art Critic R.C. Baker Wins Warhol Foundation Grant"
The Village Voice, December 2, 2016
"Manhattan Over Our Heads," March 22, 2016, The Village Voice, in conjunction with
"The Critics Who Contributed to Christian Jankowski's 'Review'," Blouin ArtInfo, July 5, 2012