Echo Scholarship Auction – Hilary Baldwin

HILARY BALDWIN
–  Echo Scholarship Auction  –

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Woodblock Pattern, 2012

oil on canvas
17″ x 17″
Estimated Value: $1000

Hilary’s Echo Scholarship is intended to support an oil painter.

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“Art saved my life”

Hilary Baldwin credits art with her life. Her fascination with art began as a small child when she discovered a reproduction of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” in a book. This discovery served as an impetus for her creativity, setting the stage for art creation as a dominant theme in her life. As a child Hilary was prolific, creating colorful drawings, vibrant ceramic sculptures, and intricate habitats for wild critters. Upon entering high school the importance of art in her life became strikingly clear. In many ways, she feels art saved her life during these years, keeping her focused on school and drawing her away from the negative, destructive influences of troubled peer groups. The painting and sculpture studios at her high school became a reprieve, offering her an avenue to express negativity in a way that was respected and appreciated by others.

“Art is a language that doesn’t rely on words.”

For Hilary, art is an important medium through which people can connect and break down barriers. Art must be accessible, in the sense that it can be discussed, but at the same time challenging, focusing viewers to work hard toward understanding. Hilary experiences art making as a driving need that transcends choice. She savors the experience of surprise in her work, as she feels this quality will be experienced as a rewarding challenged by viewers. Artists, she feels, have the spiritual gift of attunement to the small details of daily life. Through art creation artists can share this gift and help instill open-mindedness in others.

ACRE was Hilary’s gateway into the Chicago art world. She attended ACRE a month before moving to Chicago; through ACRE she instantly became part of a thriving, supportive community of likeminded souls. The lively discussions and collaboration that ACRE offered challenged her to make art unlike anything she’d made in the past. This experience encouraged her to become more communicative about the intentionality behind her work and opened her mind to accepting chance influences on her practice. Her time at ACRE represented an intense period of growth that continues to have an impact on her work today. The most striking memory from her residency was a collaboration she did with Laura Newlon. Together they crafted an installation of fluorescent flagging tape stretched over a frame of salvaged wood. The piece referenced and interacted with the surrounding landscape, catching the fading light of the setting sun and appearing to glow on the distant horizon. In a sense, this piece encapsulated her experience at ACRE: rewarding collaborations, budding friendships, and artistic growth.
Ashlan Falletta-Cowden