LANDSCAPE IN PROCESS K. THOMAS BAKER PORTFOLIO MAY 2015
ABOUT Philosophy My design foundation is centered on my passions for design, history, art, and science. Cultural research, long-term stewardship, and ecological correctness are at the forefront of my design philosophy. I value the correct use of plants to form space that evokes regionalism through the juxtaposition of both native and exotic species. Education As a recent graduate of the M.L.A. Program at the University of Georgia, I have learned that the act of creation is a series of steps revolving around ones ability to define the problem and find a solution. Over the past three years I have been focused on understanding my personal design process. As a graduate assistant I had the opportunity to teach plant identification courses, design a therapeutic garden for a local hospital, and help recruit outside professionals our studentled graduate workshops. Other formative experiences include thesis research across six European countries and a summer internship with ecological design firm Rana Creek, where I gained professional experience while working on projects in Dubai, Hangzhou, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Motivation I am seeking a position with a studio that is helping to broaden the traditional role of landscape architecture. I am interested in collaborating with a diverse range of disciplines on projects that range in scale and scope. I am eager to start my career with a firm that practices ecological design as a comprehensive form of art. Thank you for viewing my work.
CONTENTS 04 MY PROCESS 14 STUDIO 38 PLANTS IN DESIGN 60 THESIS 68 CV
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PROCESS 06 NARRATIVE 08 PERSPECTIVE 10 TRAVEL 12 INSPIRATION
Left: Historic analysis collage for the Athens Warehouse District. (p.28)
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EVERY SITE TELLS A STORY
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Historical research is a common starting place for design because it is essential to learn a site’s history before you can understand what it can become. This graphic shows how I analyzed photographs, maps, and history books to piece together a cultural narrative for the redevelopment of the Athens Warehouse District (p. 34).
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ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT
SITE HISTORY
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PERSPECTIVE AND VISION
“SOMETIMES THE POWER OF A DRAWING IS FOUND NOT SO MUCH IN ITS FAITHFULNESS TO THE SUBJECT BUT IN ITS REVELATION OF SOMETHING YOU DID NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND BEFORE “ - PAUL HOGARTH
Right: This graphic illustrates my design perspective and vision for creating connectivity and sense-of-place using existing vegetation and an abandoned railway (see page 34).
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TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
The ‘design eye’ is the most important tool for a landscape architect, and a talent that takes years to develop. While traveling I always carry a sketchbook. This allows me to record my experience beyond what the camera can capture. Drawing puts me in the landscape and has been critical to my education in seeing and observation.
DOLORES PARK, SAN FRANCISCO
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“ONCE THE IMPRESSION HAS BEEN RECORDED BY THE PENCIL, IT STAYS FOR GOOD, ENTERED, REGISTERED, INSCRIBED.” – LE CORBUSIER
CARMEL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
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DRAW INSPIRATION FROM NATURE
Watercolor is a powerful tool in my design process as it often helps with serendipitous discoveries and abstraction.
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“ART MUST COME FROM WITHIN, AND THE ONLY SOURCE FROM WHICH THE ART OF LANDSCAPING CAN COME IS OUR NATIVE LANDSCAPE.” – JENS JENSEN
INLAND MARSH, JEKYLL ISLAND, GEORGIA
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STUDIO PROJECTS 16 SCHOOL OF ART 22 BUOYANT ECOLOGIES 24 PEDESTRIAN PLAZA 30 WAREHOUSE DISTRICT 36 SCULPTURE GARDEN
Left: Clay plasticine study model for the Lamar Dodd School of Art storm-water design project (p. 20).
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LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART STORM-WATER GARDEN
LAND 6050 - DESIGN COMPETITION STUDIO PARTNER: GREG MUSE
Site selection was based on a unique opportunity to treat a polluted stream (Lily Branch) before its confluence with the North Oconee River, just east of UGA’s campus. The proposed design provides a ‘storm-water garden’ in close proximity to cultural and recreational amenities of UGA’s South Campus, including the Hodgson School of Music, Georgia Museum of Art, Ramsey Recreation Center, Harris Dining Hall, and East Campus Village student housing. In order to study topographic manipulation of the site, we created a clay plasticine study model. The model was useful for rapid iterations that informed our design.
CONCEPT - Circle & Square - to frame ecological processes using forms derived from two contrasting movements in art history.
DESIGNED TO FLOOD - BLENDING ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE - Our design blends the LDSA with an under-utilized storm-water basin south of the building. A terraced outdoor classroom space our solution to transition architecture and landscape.
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EARTHWORK DESIGN ITERATIONS - In order to study topographic manipulation of the site, we created a clay plasticine study model. The model was useful for rapid iterations that informed our design. Forms are inspired by different movements in art history.
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LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART
One of our goals of the project was to practice an interdisciplinary approach to design. Throughout the semester we consulted with multiple professors within the University system. As we received feedback we would make changes accordingly. This was a valuable learning experience in how technical aspects of design work in practice. Our profession is becoming evermore specialized and being able to communicate well with scientists is important.
CHANNEL DESIGN WITH FILTRATION POOLS
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STORM-WATER GARDEN & OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
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LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART
Our design celebrates the dissonance between wild and cared-for landscapes. It gives students the opportunity to see natural processes provided by an ecologically informed fluvial landscape. This concept draws heavily on art history and celebrates art as the driver for social change. The goal of our design is to use the language of landscape design to support a creative culture and introduce new ideas of storm-water innovation on campus.
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AUTODESK PIER 9 – BUOYANT ECOLOGIES FLOATING FABRICATION WORKSHOP FREELANCE COMPETITION MARCH 2015
This project was completed for Rana Creek Design. The concept development and graphic production took place in a one-day session with fellow MLA student Nathan Metzger. The objective was to represent a rooftop wetland for a floating expansion of Autodesk’s Pier 9 Workshop on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. Below: a tidal-flow constructed wetland treats building grey water. Opposite: the raised lip is an opportunity to collaborate with artist’s at the Autodesk workshop and will create niche habitat for tidal vegetation.
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COLLEGE AVENUE PLAZA PEDESTRIAN PLAZA - ATHENS, GA LAND 6040 - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO JANUARY 2014
This design explores the possibility of making a pedestrian street on College Avenue - a strategic position between downtown Athens and the University of Georgia’s North campus. Located adjacent to the landmark UGA Arch, the design improves the ‘town to gown’ connection while providing a multi-functional open space for both UGA students and citizens of Athens.
UGA ARCH
CONCEPT DRAWING LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS CAMPUS
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PORTFOLIO K. THOMAS BAKER CLAYTON STREET
LE MODULOR CONCEPT
In order to provide contrast to the existing classic architecture, I chose to use a contemporary pavement pattern comprised of granite, limestone, and brick – all materials that are found around town and campus. The pattern was inspired by Le Corbusier’s grid system, Le Modulor, which combines the rules of the golden section with the scale and proportion of the human anatomy. Left: My solution uses a grove to enclose the plaza to the south and enhance the existing off-center axis of the University’s historic north campus. The stage provides a place for street performances while the raised planter boxes and tree wells define the perimeter of the central space. BROAD STREET
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COLLEGE AVENUE PLAZA
Right: Circulation and spatial enclosure were considered in my decision to change three buildings. I removed a small shop along the west facade to provide an alley connection. Two new buildings were added along Clayton St to provide a framed entrance and south-facing walls for dining and seating. Below: The eastern facade of the site is an intact example of the classic architecture found around Athens.
ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT: EASTERN SECTION
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MAIN SQUARE
STAGE
BIRCH GROVE
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ATHENS WAREHOUSE DISTRICT OCONEE RIVER INFILL - ATHENS, GA LAND 6040 - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO MARCH 2014
The former Armstrong and Dobb’s site is positioned between downtown Athens, UGA’s North Campus, and Dudley Park. Because over half the site is registered as Historic Warehouse District, I explored the concept of FUSION as I wanted the site to provide a tasteful transition between historic and contemporary architecture.
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ATHENS WAREHOUSE DISTRICT
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ATHENS WAREHOUSE DISTRICT OCONEE RIVER INFILL - ATHENS, GA LAND 6040 - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO MARCH 2014
Future plans for the ‘Firefly Trail’ guided my decision to create a pedestrian bridge on the foundation of a former train truss. This provides a link between downtown Athens and Dudley Park as well as alternative transportation to alleviate commuter traffic along the Oconee Street corridor from East Athens
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ATHENS WAREHOUSE DISTRICT
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The design aims to improve the pedestrian experience from downtown Athens. Site topography was carefully considered when creating pedestrian nodes. Warehouse style buildings provide a framework for my plaza spaces. The perspective (below) shows the site’s pedestrian connection to downtown Athens.
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HEPWORTH SCULPTURE GARDEN GARDEN INSPIRED BY SCULPTURE LAND 6010 - FOUNDATION DESIGN STUDIO NOVEMBER 2012
This Garden is an allegory for the progression of Barbara Hepworth’s prolific career. The sculpture selections abstractly represent the events and people that influenced her work. Radial forms were chosen to represent the circle of life and the cyclic passing of time. In follow-up to this project I visited the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden in St. Ives, Cornwall during a 2013 garden tour in England.
HIERARCHY
SPATIAL ENCLOSURE
SPHERE WITH INNER FORM - BARBARA HEPWORTH
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FRAMED VIEWS
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Above: Sketchbook doodle
PLANTS IN DESIGN 40 LIVING WALL 42 GARDEN TRAVEL 44 HEALING LABYRINTH 48 GARDEN ROOM 50 PERENNIAL BORDER 52 MIMSIE LANIER 60 THESIS RESEARCH
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SUNSET BOULEVARD LIVING WALL WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA DESIGN: RIOS CLEMENTE HALE STUDIOS RANA CREEK HABITAT RESTORATION During my internship with Rana Creek Habitat Restoration I helped design and supervise the installation of a living wall in West Hollywood. I was responsible for finalizing the planting plan, which was based on the concept of Coastal California native plant communities. Right: I used on-site sketching to communicate solutions to the installation crew and office. Opposite: on-site layout of planting plan. Below: planting layout
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HEALING LABYRINTH GARDEN
LORAN SMITH CENTER FOR CANCER SUPPORT BUILT WORK DESIGN: FALL 2012 CONSTRUCTION: SEPTEMBER 2013
In my first year at UGA I was given the opportunity to design a healing labyrinth garden for the Athens Regional Hospital. The design was in collaboration with professor Brad Davis. The process was a learning experience in design-build, and a good outreach opportunity for the College of Environment + Design. The University of Georgia highlighted this project on their homepage in May, 2013. I also wrote an article for ASLA’s THE FIELD blog in May, 2014.
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HEALING LABYRINTH GARDEN LORAN SMITH CENTER FOR CANCER SUPPORT PLANTING PLAN DESIGN: FALL 2012 CONSTRUCTION: SEPTEMBER 2013
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TRAVEL SKETCHBOOK - EUROPEAN GARDENS NEEL REID TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP PLANTING DESIGN OBSERVATIONS PEN, PENCIL, WATERCOLOR SUMMER 2013 During my studies I have been fortunate enough to exercise my desire to travel and see the world. This passion for travel is not rooted in the collection of passport stamps, but in the desire to experience different cultures beyond mere tourism. Travel is enlightening, inspirational, educational, and significant to my development as a designer. While traveling I always carry a sketchbook. This allows me to record my experience beyond what the camera can capture. For me it goes beyond drawing and is critical to my education in seeing and observation. The ‘design eye’ is the most important tool for a landscape architect, and a talent that takes years to develop. For many architects and designers, keeping a travel sketchbook has become a rite of passage, a means of cataloging their own growth by capturing the work of others. My sketchbook was at the center of my work during the summer of 2013 when I was the recipient of the Neel Reid Travel Scholarship. This enabled me to travel for 7 weeks throughout 6 countries in Europe to observe and sketch in gardens and urban spaces.
THE TOPIARY LAWN - GREAT DIXTER - ENGLAND
PRIVATE GARDEN - WASSANAAR, NETHERLANDS
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WIRTZ PRIVATE GARDEN - SCHOTEN BELGIUM
THIJSSE’S HOF - BLOOMENDAAL, NETHERLANDS
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GARDEN ROOM CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION LAND 6330 - LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION OCTOBER 2013 This small-scale patio project was an exercise in construction documentation. Simplification and restraint were encouraged in order to produce a complete construction document set for each of the four major elements: wall, bridge, pavement, and water. My design was inspired by the work of Dutch garden designer Mien Ruys.
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SPATIAL ORGANIZATION
SMALL- SCALE FOOD PRODUCTION LAND 6020 - GARDEN DESIGN STUDIO SPRING 2013
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RADIOHEAD MUSIC GARDEN GARDEN INSPIRED BY MUSIC LAND 6020 - GARDEN DESIGN STUDIO MARCH 2013
ANALYSIS
This project was an exploration of the creative process and an exercise in designing with music. The design is bold much like the music that I selected: Radiohead’s KID-A. It abandons the conventional thinking towards garden making and is meant to be a shocking display of ecological succession. My solution to the site’s massive parking lot was to partially dismantle the asphalt and leave the fragments to develop earlysuccessional vegetation. The fractal design form was inspired by the chaotic percussion and distorted vocals of the Radiohead album. The circular amphitheater reflects the contrasting order and calming nature of the track Everything in Its Right Place. The orrery-inspired dome over the amphitheater is a metaphor for the garden’s theme of technology and change, and is meant to evoke the feeling of our place withing nature and the cosmos.
RESOLUTION
Album
Parti
Rhythym
Motion
MAINTAIN FORM
Melody
Narrative
MAINTAIN FORM
EMBRACE SUCCESSION
EMBRACE SUCCESSION
STRATEGIC PLANTING
STRATEGIC PLANTING
MODEL - 40 SCALE
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PERENNIAL BORDER WALLED PERENNIAL BORDER LAND 6020 - GARDEN DESIGN STUDIO FEBRUARY 2013 This planting scheme attempts to use evergreen ‘formal’ shrubs within a matrix of native grasses to provide structure, rhythm, and winter interest.
PLAN VIEW SCALE 1”= 4’
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CENTER FOR NATIVE PLANT STUDIES PLANT COMMUNITY DESIGN
LAND 6030 - NATURE & SUSTAINABILITY STUDIO NOVEMBER 2013 The Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies is located at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. This project offered a promising opportunity to educate the public about native plants of Georgia’s piedmont. The final product was an eight-sheet document set containing illustrative designs, stormwater calculations, construction details, grading/ drainage plan, and planting plan.
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(A) nursery pad (B) granite outcrop & gravel garden (C) native garden demonstration (D) experimental research plots (E) floodplain forest (F) mesic forest beech/oak/hickory (G) xeric forest oak/hickory/pine (H) wet meadow
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(RIGHT) The planting design focuses on the contrast between horticultural and “wild” plants. This nursery pad was designed to demonstrate the merits of native plants in a formal garden, while maintaining function for plant-sale fundraising events. (BELOW RIGHT) The Granite Outcrop Garden utilizes rainwater to feed a small seep pool. An existing service road bisects the garden and is designed with gravel loving plants to blend garden and function. I chose the Georgia Oak (Quercus georgiana) as the focal point because it’s a granite outcrop endemic.
NURSERY PAD (A)
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GRANITE OUTCROP GARDEN AND CLASSROOM (B)
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CENTER FOR NATIVE PLANT STUDIES PLANT COMMUNITY DESIGN
LAND 6030 - NATURE & SUSTAINABILITY STUDIO NOVEMBER 2013
RUDERAL PICTURESQUE PLANT ECOLOGY RESEARCH
ENGAGING THE PROCESS OF PLANT SUCCESSION ON THE PIEDMONT OF GEORGIA NOVEMBER 2013 - PRESENT
HOW CAN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS SUCCESSION AS A DESIGN TOOL?
UTILIZE
PLANT
This question has been part of my ongoing research into landscapes of disturbance. Ruderal is another term for vegetation that occurs in response to anthropogenic disturbance.
Empirical research: documenting and observing the seral stages of succession on the Georgia Piedmont.
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“AN UNDERSTANDING OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION PROVIDES A BASIS FOR RESOLVING MAN’S CONFLICT WITH NATURE.” – EUGENE ODUM
Application: using succession and disturbance as a design resource for plant community development.
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GATHERING EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
Pyrus calleryana Juniperus virginiana Pyrus calleryana Pyrus calleryana Eupatorium capillifolium
Digitaria sanguinalis
Andropogon virginicus
Cynodon dactylon
Pinus teada
Pinus teada
Rhus copallina
Andropogon virginicus Festuca sp.
Disturbance Line
Cynodon dactylon
Quercus nigra
Prunus caroliniana Elaeagnus pungens Phytolaca americana
Ligustrum sinense Pueraria lobata
Cynodon dactylon Digitaria sanguinalis Disturbance Line
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“REVOLUTION IN THE AESTHETICS OF NATURE OFTEN TAKES PLACE WHEN PEOPLE START APPRECIATING THE PARTS OF NATURE FORMERLY REGARDED AS AESTHETICALLY NEGATIVE.” – YURIKO SAITO
Pyrus calleryana Pinus teada ?
Rhus copallina Solidago sp.
Symphyotrichum ericoides?
Conyza canadensis
Aristida dichotoma? Cynodon dactylon Digitaria sanguinalis Disturbance Line
BIOTOPE MEADOW FOR GEORGIA PIEDMONT
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RUDERAL PICTURESQUE
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EDUCATION 2015 Master of Landscape Architecture - University of Georgia 2010 B.S. Environmental Horticulture - Clemson University 2007 A.S. Agriculture Technology - Spartanburg Community College
EXPERIENCE 2014 Design Intern, Rana Creek Habitat Restoration – Monterey, California Supervised living wall installation in West Hollywood, California
Prepared for a sustainability master plan for a project in Dubai Assisted with site-design projects including planting plans and construction details
2014 Graduate Assistant, University Of Georgia – Athens, Georgia
Teaching Assistant: LAND 6320 Plant Communities; LAND 3420 Plants of the South
Designed therapeutic labyrinth garden for Loran Smith Cancer Support Center
2012 Graduate Assistant, Clemson University – Clemson, South Carolina Teaching Assistant: BIOSC 105 lab (60 students)
Researched habitat gardens under Dr. Patrick McMillan Created masterplan for the Natural History Trail at the South Carolina Botanical Garden
2011 Nursery Intern, Rijnbeek en Zoon B.V. – Boskoop, The Netherlands Performed quality control in preparing containerized orders for export
Gained experience with European business practices
2008 Greenhouse Intern, Skagit Gardens INC. – Mount Vernon, Washington American Floral Endowment summer internship scholar Greenhouse production exposure to over 1,500 herbaceous plant varieties
2007 Owner, Baker Landscaping LLC. – Greenville, South Carolina
Collaborated with clients, subcontractors, and vendors on residential construction work Prepared documents including contracts, cost estimations, and design drawings
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SKILLS Workplace – Construction documentation, digital and hand drawing, team collaboration, verbal communication, concept development, research, planting design Software – Adobe Creative Suite, Auto-CAD, ArcGIS, Sketch-up, Rhinoceros
ACADEMIC INITIATIVE 2015 Olmsted Scholarship – Landscape Architecture Foundation James Cothran Scholarship – Southern Garden History Society Georgia Landscape Magazine article – “Drawing on Chip Sullivan” 2014
Neel Reid Memorial Graduate Scholarship ASLA The Field – “Healing Labyrinth for Cancer Support” Georgia Landscape Magazine article – “Sketching the Landscape” Georgia Landscape Magazine article – “Planting Design: Lessons from Peter Janke”
2013 Neel Reid Memorial Travel Scholarship – seven-week garden tour in Europe Exhibited artwork – CED Circle Gallery: Drawn from the Garden 2012 University of Georgia Graduate School Assistantship Poster presentation: Cullowhee Native Plant Conference Scholarship Invited speaker: South Carolina Botanical Garden annual gala 2010 OFA Short Course Scholar in Columbus Ohio Most Creative E-portfolio Design – Clemson University Poster presentation – American Society for Horticultural Science Research
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k.thomas.baker@gmail.com (864) 201-3641