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The Algonquin Art Centre\u2019s 2018 artist-in-residence Rich Baker is returning to Algonquin Park to present his new show, The View from Here<\/em>, a solo exhibit inspired by his time in Algonquin Park.<\/p>\n Rich creates incredible metal sculptures through a mixture of forging and welding, with each piece conveying something unique to the viewer. “I believe that each piece I do is a story,” says Rich, “something I\u2019ve seen or witnessed or experienced first hand, but rather than putting pen to paper, I hammer it out in steel.”<\/p>\n Rich would bring this artistic expression to new heights after his 2018 residency in Algonquin Park, where he spent time exploring, creating, and learning from Park scientists about what makes Algonquin so special, lessons he would tie into his solo exhibit.<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve been coming to Algonquin for 30 years. I\u2019ve explored many parks, but there\u2019s something special about Algonquin Provincial Park. I could say it\u2019s the solitude of the interior campsites, the possibility of wildlife encounters around each corner, or the great memories of family fishing trips. All of these reasons are true as to why I feel a connection to this park, yet there\u2019s still something more. Strangely enough, it\u2019s the feeling I experience whenever I\u2019m leaving the park that continually draws me back. It\u2019s a heaviness in my soul, an undeniable voice whispering to my subconscious that it\u2019s there I belong.”<\/p>\n\n\t\t