ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Liberal’s Baker Arts Center recently welcomed its newest director.
In November, Misty Martin stepped into the role, and she and her husband, Ryan, are happy to call Seward County home.
Martin came to Southwest Kansas when she was in high school, and after attending Seward County Community College in 1992 and 1993, she and Ryan were married in 1994.
“He’s a Hugoton born and raised guy,” she said. “We’ve lived in the area for more than 30 years now. We have six kids – two boys, four girls. We lived in Hugoton until two years ago. Two years ago, we ended up buying a house just outside of town.”
Martin said she is excited to make Baker Arts a community hub for Liberal.
“There’s just a lot of potential for creativity and opportunities to relax,” she said. “There’s been an idea historically of what art has to be, and I think while there’s truth in that, there’s also this reality that there is so much creativity in art in life in general. I want to be able to encourage people of all ages, children and adults, to be creative, to be able to express themselves, to be able to learn new things and try things that make them feel uncomfortable for the first time.”
Martin has hit the ground running in her short time at Baker, and one of the things she is working on currently is building class schedules at the center.
“We’ve got a lot of painting and drawing,” she said. “We’re working on getting pottery up and going again. We’re planning on doing a lot of things. We’re doing a baguette class in the kitchen this week, and we’re looking to do a lot of cooking classes.”
Baker is working with a local blacksmith, and Martin said other talks have centered around bringing more one-time classes to the center.
“My dream is we are welcoming a big group of kids who are diverse and unique,” she said. “They come. They learn, and they’re excited about that.”
Martin worked in children’s education for many years, including many years as principal at Heritage Christian Academy in Hugoton, and she said one of the things she learned is while many times adults can set the example, children also often set the example.
“If kids are coming and learning and growing, my hope is their parents see them doing that, and the parents then follow that example and start to try to get outside of their comfort zone to try new things,” she said.
In recent years, Baker Arts has been through extensive renovations, including upgrading a house located just south of the center to serve as a kitchen for the center. At this time, Martin said no specific renovations are planned, but an in-residency house was recently completed.
“It’s just down from the center, and it’s adorable,” she said. “They’ve really done a lot of renovations, and instead of being one big house, it’s like two separate apartments. That’ll be for our artists who come here for a residency period of time, but also as an Airbnb for people to have a unique experience when they come to Liberal.”
Martin said she wants to take Baker Arts in a direction that leads to more community and growth.
“I had a mom recently who was really excited,” she said. “She brought her three children, and they came to a class. They were so excited to try something new, and I think sometimes, we can forget what other opportunities are out there instead of what’s right in front of us.”
Martin said her hope is for big growth in the community’s understanding of what is available at the center.
“This is not just an art gallery,” she said. “We have some amazing artists who come through, but it is so much more than that. We have people who will come down and play the piano. We have people who will come and bring their kids when school is in a break.”
Martin said many parents are excited for their children to have a place to be creative, and she said a lot is in store for Baker Arts in 2026.
“We are working to make sure we have a full class schedule,” she said. “We have the kitchen open on Fridays now. We have food we’re selling every Friday. There’s a menu we put out.”
Martin likewise wants to offer more opportunities for routine classes.
“With some classes, you sign up for them, and you’re signing up for four to eight weeks,” she said. “Other times, it’s a class you’ll come to for just a month.”
Martin said Baker has much in the way of crafting, painting and drawing to offer, and Friday, Jan. 16, the center will have pottery night. She said much of what she has in mind for the center comes from listening to patrons and finding out what they are wanting to see.
Martin said she became interested in the position of director after talking with Baker board member and friend Julie Parsons.
“One of the things I think is my strength is I’m pretty organized and can get things done,” Martin said. “When we talked about the position here as the director at Baker Arts, I said I don’t have a lot of experience with art. I’m great at teaching the baking classes or the cooking classes, but I personally am not a great artist when it comes to drawing or painting. Those are skills I haven’t developed, and I’m hoping to better. When I talked to Julie and the board, I let her know I’m not ready to teach an art class yet, but I am ready to facilitate making sure this is a place where people can come.”
Martin said her interest too included ideas of how to build community through creativity in many forms of art, including cooking.
“My go-to statement is I think life is a form of art, and I want to help other people realize that,” she said. “We can get caught up in our everyday routine, and we forget to think outside of the box. I think Baker is a place I want to make sure offers a soft place to land and a place that opens up creativity and feels comfortable and safe and feels like it sparks creativity. We have people who will come in and simply come in to paint for a while. That tells me this is a space they come, and everything else is left outside. They come in, and they just get to create.”
As she starts her time at Baker, Martin said she is excited for what is to come at the center, and she is particularly ready for spring and summer activities to make use of what is available outside the center’s walls.
“We have such great outdoor spaces both here at the main gallery and over at the kitchen,” she said. “I envision people coming and having time to sit, have dinner, bring their lunches, whatever. We’re hoping to do some events that are focused on being outside and relaxing in nature.”
Martin said her excitement for her job seems to grow on a daily basis.
“I wake up in the morning excited to get here,” she said. “Every once in a while, I stay a little later than my family might like. I can’t stop what I’m doing. The community is my goal, and I feel I’m already seeing that with people coming in and talking. We already have a coffee bar area where people will come in and grab a coffee and do art or walk around and look at the gallery, and we’re even looking at putting a couple tables out there so people can just come and sit and have some time.”
