September 12, 2025
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photo by Scott Andersen
The Shafer Art Gallery, in collaboration with artist Brian Hutchinson, is reviving a selection of printing plates created by historic Kansas printmaker Orlin C. Baker.听
Shafer Gallery Director Alyssa Bliven said Baker lived from 1886 to 1959 and was a skilled printmaker in drypoint, lithography, etching, and aquatint. She said in addition to his artistic endeavors, he was also a jeweler, civil engineer, and teacher who shared his artistic vision through classes across Kansas and beyond.
鈥淗is wife Margaret was a dedicated supporter of the Shafer Art Gallery, both as a donor and as an engaged presence in the local arts community,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his special project honors Baker鈥檚 enduring legacy by producing a small run of prints from his original plates, which will be available for purchase through the Gallery. In doing so, we preserve not only the material traces of his artistry, but also the spirit of creativity and community that he and Margaret embodied.鈥
Hutchinson lives in Hays, where he teaches art and art education at Fort Hays State University. In addition to his role as an instructor, he is an active contemporary artist whose practice centers on printmaking and extends into mixed media, sculpture, drawing, painting, ceramics, and jewelry. He said he was excited to be a part of this process because he was fascinated with printmaking from a technical standpoint and the archival and historical elements included in the process.
鈥淭he beauty of these plates to me is that we can revive those marks,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e can get them with fresh ink on new paper. Working on somebody else's plate is really interesting because I'm literally touching those marks, kind of almost going through some similar motions that the artist might have been doing. So, there's this sort of communion that happens between the past and the present. You're also sort of learning about their mark-making and how that is diverse from the way that I might engage with that. So, there's kind of a timeless quality.
Hutchinson also wanted to be a part of rescuing and bringing back the integrity of these works so that future generations can enjoy them. Both Hutchinson and Orlin once lived in Great Bend, and like many of the artists featured by the Gallery, they reflect its focus on Kansas art educators.
鈥淪everal of these plates also have been damaged over the years,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o, I enjoy that idea of repairing and engaging in some preservation to bring those images back to a much more powerful state and then keep them there so they can continue.鈥
The Shafer Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is always free. For more information, contact Bliven at shafergallery@bartonccc.edu or (620) 792-9342.