A limerick for Bill Baran-Mickle
An artist of talent and vision
explored the juxtaposition
of metals and wood—
and in no time he could
bring beautiful works to fruition!
Bill Baran-Mickle is an accomplished, practicing artist who works primarily in metal sculpture. He has shown his work on Bainbridge Island and has also participated in numerous national and international exhibitions. His work is not only beautiful, but also thoughtful and personal.
Following graduate school at the School for American Craftsmen Rochester Institute of Technology, Bill remained in the Rochester, New York area for two decades. He taught some, made art independently, exhibited in galleries around the country, and volunteered on art panels locally and statewide. In this period he earned a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and also a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He also won the first “National Art in Architecture Competition” which was cosponsored by the American Crafts Council and Hines Limited Partnership.
In 1998, when Bill moved to Bainbridge Island, he continued to make art and increased his involvement with foundations and arts organizations. Bill was a founding member of the Kitsap County Arts Board (the county’s 1% for Arts Commission) for six years. Bill served as a founding member of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art board and served on both its Education Committee and its Acquisitions and Exhibitions Committee.
Bill was heavily involved in the creation of BARN, a place for artisans to share skills intergenerationally and also have a place where they could work with tools that would otherwise be unavailable to them. And when BARN became a more public idea he joined the founding board.
Bill also volunteers on the Public Art Committee of Arts and Humanities Bainbridge, working to get more art out into the community and providing unique opportunities for local artists. He has also created public art on Bainbridge Island including the large sundial to draw attention – and visitors – to Battle Point Park. Bill describes it as a “fairly accurate” timepiece. It is a wonderful gift to us all, and an absolute magnet for kids, adults and any number of dogs.
From the smallest piece of exquisite jewelry to the largest form of public art Bill Baran-Mickle is a consummate artist, a community builder and a visionary and unquestionably an Island Treasure.