Bea Baldwin Honored by Students and Colleagues

Beatrice Baldwin, art instructor and director of Scanlan Gallery, recently announced that she will retire from teaching at the end of the academic year. Baldwin, a beloved member of the fine arts faculty for the past 13 years, was honored by students and colleagues during Chapel on May 9.

Elizabeth Hansing Moon, fine arts department chair, shared the following about Baldwin and the significant impact she has had on the St. Stephen's community during her tenure:

"Beatrice Baldwin arrived at St. Stephen's in the summer of 2004. After a wonderful career teaching at Fort Worth Country Day School, then abroad, then at Chatham Hall in Virginia, she decided to come back to Texas to be closer to family. 
 
St. Stephen's totally lucked out by being in her trajectory! Bea's care for her students is beyond measure. She works with each individual to find and fan that spark that allows them to accomplish great things. Countless students have won local, statewide and national recognition. The work of St. Stephen's students is distinctive at the ISAS Arts Festival and in competition portfolio reviews and other venues in that it allows for such a great range of individual expression.
 
Bea is an advocate for every one of her students and advisees, and part of that advocacy is visible in the way she helps every student find his or her authentic means of expression. The art studio is humming with activity from early morning until it is locked up at night. Students come in and get right to work, knowing she is serious about their art education. After thinking about the students' needs, she arrives each day ready to give feedback, to teach a new technique or, when kids feel stuck, to encourage young artists to try one more thing or sometimes to give permission to go an entirely different direction. 
 
As a colleague, she has been tireless and selfless, offering to step in and step up whenever needed. As a member of the larger artistic community, she is known as a wonderful watercolorist, and her work has been displayed all over town, from Laura's Library to City Hall to HUGE billboards all over town, as well as gracing many walls of many homes. 
 
Her work with the Scholastic Art Competition and exhibition has been exemplary; even though it is an enormous endeavor, Bea sees it as yet another way to support young people in art. She has created a solid network of current and former parents, teachers, and professional artists through the years, building a team that allows Scholastic Arts to flourish.  More importantly, it allows the art students of Hays, Williamson and Travis Counties to receive recognition and support for their awesome artwork. 
 
Bea's kindness, resourcefulness, collegiality, sensitivity and sheer delight in working with kids is going to be missed by all who know her at St. Stephen's. But there are some really wonderful young people who will get to spend even more time with her now — her grandchildren! 
 
Best wishes and thank you for these wonderful 13 years from all of us at St. Stephen's!"


Pictured, left to right: art student Julie Sang '17, Bea Baldwin, art student Amy Yoo '17 and advisee Kisara Moore '17
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213