Schenectady, N.Y. (Sept. 8, 1997) – Walter Hatke, professor of visual arts at Union College, was named May I. Baker Professor of Fine Arts at the College's opening convocation today.
Professor Hatke, who received his bachelor's degree from DePauw University and advanced degrees from the University of Iowa, is a nationally-known artist whose works grace the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smith College Museum of Art, Chase Manhattan Bank, Exxon Corporation and others. He is represented by the Babcock Galleries on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Hatke has had numerous solo exhibitions and last year was included in a traveling group exhibition titled “Plain Pictures: Images of the American Prairie,” which was featured on the CBS television program “Sunday Morning.” His paintings present subjects from everyday life in extraordinary ways, taking into account such factors as lighting, vantage points and the effects of time on the process of creating works. He has been a member of the faculty at Union since 1986.
The May I. Baker Chair in Fine Arts is supported by a bequest from Walter C. Baker, Class of 1915, in memory of his first wife, May I. Baker. Mr. Baker, a trustee of Union College for forty years, was vice president of the Guaranty Trust Company in New York City.
This year, Union College welcomed the class of 2001 at its opening convocation. Union, founded in 1795, is an independent college for men and women of high academic promise and strong personal motivation. It offers academic programs in the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, engineering and computer science.