Chris Baker Has a few ideas about how to enjoy san antonio

Arriving in San Antonio came after a busy season for Brittany, Winnie and me. It felt like a long time coming. As Winnie gets older (now 7 months), we consistently find ourselves bending our schedule around her, which we are fortunately able to do. These really wonderful times mixed with the ebbs and flows of the freelance graphic design/artist life has created wonderful complexities around my practice. Parts & Labor provided the time and space to curb those complexities.

My connection to the Parts and Labor community is through Josh and Michelle Welker. As an uncle/brother to Fred, Melody, and Eden, and brother/son to Josh and Michelle, I have had the opportunity to meet so many excellent human beings in San Antonio over the years—and work for some of them as well. So, as I have done many previous times in my life, I’d like to thank them.

We stayed busy with dinners and social gatherings, as well as the family monoprinting workshop, and a couple of artist talks, one at the house and one at UTSA. These times, mixed with the space provided to work, created a great wind of opportunity. Matt Kleberg and I talked about how surprisingly seldom it is that we get to have good conversations about our work and our relationship to it in the studio. This is the thing I loved most about my time there and something I have really missed about my time at Cranbrook Academy of Art.

All in all, I had the opportunity to make work that I believe is the beginning of a lot of other work, and I think thats the idea at Parts & Labor. Thanks 1 million times to all of the humans down there keeping things going.

And to everyone reading this, I suggest completing a few things if you find yourself in SATX anytime soon. Do not get your oil changed at Tobin Smith Architect (soon to be named something else). Do attend a workshop or show by Turnip Ensemble Theater. Have your kids (or yourself) wear some pants by WAY WAY Co. Visit Jack Mitts’ spandrel. And attend a dance party in Josh and Michelle’s Casita.