Gallery featuring projects from Baker’s “Hermetic Museum”

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery has announced the opening of James Baker’s installation “From the Hermetic Museum.” An opening reception is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 in the gallery, with an illustrated conversation between Baker and gallery director Ernest Jolicoeur set for 6 p.m.

The Hermetic Museum is the place name of James Baker’s secluded studio in Newport. It is a workspace, archive and creative sanctuary for research. It is also a metaphor for the course of an artist’s life – a mental space in which inspiration, imagination and intuition thrive. The Hermetic Museum is both a physical place and a state of consciousness.

The installation evokes the ongoing dialogue between Baker and the collected objects and images of other artists that have, over many years, informed his work. Viewers will find several pivotal examples of Baker’s projects juxtaposed with works by other artists in a wide variety of media. They are invited to discover the mysterious and surprising connections, both formal and thematic, that flow between these works.

A Newport native, Baker is a graduate of Providence College and the Rhode Island School of Design. He taught at Providence College for 37 years, where he is currently professor emeritus.

The exhibit will run through Thursday, Dec. 19. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery is closed on Mondays.