Rushern "Rush" Baker IV (born September 10, 1987) is an American painter and past candidate for the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
to represent
District 22 District 22 may refer to:
* District 22 (Chile)
* District 22 (Tehran)
* Texas Senate, District 22
* Florida's 22nd congressional district
* Texas's 22nd congressional district
* New York's 22nd congressional district
* California's 22nd congressio ...
in
Prince George's County
)
, demonym = Prince Georgian
, ZIP codes = 20607–20774
, area codes = 240, 301
, founded date = April 23
, founded year = 1696
, named for = Prince George of Denmark
, leader_title = Executive
, leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...
.
Early life and education
Baker was born in
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
on September 10, 1987, to Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III and the former Christa Beverly. When he was four years old, his family moved to Cheverly,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Baker attended Prince George's County public schools and graduated from
Suitland High School
Suitland High School is a public magnet high school located in the Suitland census-designated place in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, near Forestville.Forestville, Maryland. He earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
degree from
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
in 2009 and a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting/printmaking from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 2012, where he was awarded the Elizabeth Canfield Hicks Award for outstanding achievement in drawing or painting from nature.
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, and have been described as being "heavily influenced by author
Octavia Butler
Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. ...
’s
Afrofuturist
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocultu ...
novels, most notably ''Parable of the Sower''." In a 2013 interview, he said “I want my paintings to generate a discourse around policy, especially foreign policy." Baker's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions in Maryland, DC, New York, Connecticut, California, North Carolina, Dubai, and Japan, and is currently a lecturer at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
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.
In discussing his most recent exhibition in 2019 at
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
'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."
In June 2022, Baker took over as campaign manager of his father's gubernatorial campaign after his previous campaign manager, Andrew Mallinoff, stepped down. His father suspended his campaign later that month. In January 2023, Baker filed to run for the nomination to fill the vacancy left by Alonzo T. Washington in
District 22 District 22 may refer to:
* District 22 (Chile)
* District 22 (Tehran)
* Texas Senate, District 22
* Florida's 22nd congressional district
* Texas's 22nd congressional district
* New York's 22nd congressional district
* California's 22nd congressio ...
of the Maryland House of Delegates. On February 8, after Washington endorsed Baker's opponent Ashanti Martinez, Baker announced that he would no longer run for the vacancy.
Baker was a delegate to the
2024 Democratic National Convention
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is an upcoming event in which delegates of the United States Democratic Party will choose the party's nominees for president and vice president for the 2024 United States presidential election.
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