Photo Courtesy of Ann Baer
Ann Baer
Ann Baer, age 82, has wanted to be an artist since kindergarten and she’s still creating. Her sculpture pieces are quite different, and make the viewer really think. Her sculptures are assembled from used wood objects including salad bowls, chair legs, and previously owned tchotchkes. She find these materials at resale shops, along the curb, dumpster diving, and friends often leave treasures they find on her porch. “I am capable of using power tools although the learning curve is steep. I’m a problem solver,” she says.
Your childhood wish to be an artist came true. How long have you been a working artist?
I have always made things it started with family Christmas projects and quilting bees. My first show was in 1968. Since retirement in 2007 I have put more effort and time into my work and branched off into different mediums. My work has gotten deeper in meaning.
You taught art at Milwaukee Public schools for 22 years. Describe your time in public schools.
Teaching art was a wonderful career. I loved the people I worked with, and the children were amazing. A small budget forced me to get creative and I started scrounging for materials for my students to have a deeper, broader creative experience. That started me using discarded materials for my own practice. I am also deeply concerned about the environment and climate change. Before I taught and before computers, I was a graphic designer for 19 years.
You are both a sculptor and painter. Your sculptures are unique. Tell us how a piece comes to be.
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I love painting. The sculptures started in a Goodwill Store. I saw a shelf of knife blocks and thought they would make an interesting sculpture. Usually the found pieces jumpstart an idea. I might be walking past a bin and see something of interest, and I remember another piece in my stash and the whole idea starts to work itself out. It’s a magical moment. On other occasions, I wake in the morning and something is swimming up from the dregs of sleep that will become a new piece of art.
You are very active in the arts. Do you belong to various art groups?
I belong to Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art, Wisconsin Visual Artists, and Washington Park AV Club.
To what do you credit your creative energy?
Stubbornness is probably the best answer. “Relevance” is a mantra that guides me. It would be so easy to be old and do nothing as aches and pains slow me down. I am determined to push through and work until I can’t. There is so much to know, to learn, and to enjoy. There is so much to create and to look at. Art and color keep me going.
What advice do you have for other artists who might hit a creative block?
Keep working! Create a daily practice! Indulge in a daily ritual to fire up creative juices. If you are stuck put it away until you forget the original concept. Then take a fresh look.
