John H. Baker Gallery Showcases Work by Regional Artists in the Inaugural Baker Gallery Annual
September 9 – October 16: Baker Gallery Annual
The Department of Art + Design at West Chester University invites the public to attend the Inaugural Baker Annual: Regional Open Call Exhibition, on view September 9 – October 16, 2026, in the John H. Baker Gallery in the E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, 2 E. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester. The exhibit is FREE and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, September 9, from 2:30–4:30 p.m. A closing reception will take place on Friday, October 16, from 5–7 p.m. Both receptions are open to the public.
The exhibition features artwork by 21 artists from throughout the region, selected through an open call and juried by Philadelphia-based artist, curator, and educator Libby Rosa and Leah Triplett, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).
The jurors’ selections explore varied approaches to nature, including realistic examinations and poetic abstractions. The exhibition considers relationships between people and place, as well as the proximity and interconnectedness of people and other species, through a range of artistic processes and practices.
The Baker Annual features work by Amira Pualwan, Amy Boone-McCreesh, Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, Diana Jean Puglisi, Eliza Clifford, Frankie Modesto, Hanna Vogel, Hannah Law, Hester Stinnett, Imogen Gosnell, Jacob Stevens, Jody Joyner, Jonathan Santoro, José Chavez-Verduzco, Kathleen Eastwood-Riaño, Lauren Whearty, Madeleine Speicher-Willis, Marilyn Stubblebine, Massiel Mafes, Molly Burt-Westvig, and Steven Valera.
“The Baker Annual provides an opportunity to bring together a diverse group of artists from the region and showcase the breadth of contemporary artistic practice,” said David Jones, Chair of the Dept. of Art + Design.
“The exhibition invites visitors to consider how artists engage with nature, place, and our relationships with the world around us.”
For more information, visit www.wcupa.edu/arts or lpakradooni@wcupa.edu.