Whitaker
The Elder
Irwin Augustus “Gus” Whitaker was an American craftsman and educator. Born in Oklahoma and raised on California’s Monterey Peninsula, he came of age amid the cultural landscape of Cannery Row, encountering John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts. After World War II, he earned an MFA from Claremont College, built a career in ceramics and enamel, and taught at Michigan State University.
The Master
Eve Whitaker is an American artist born in Lansing, Michigan, who studied printmaking at Indiana University and earned her BFA from Michigan State University. She spent much of her adult life in Texas and now lives in Florida. Working across painting and sculptural doll-making, her work examines the psychological complexity of human relationships through direct, unsentimental forms.
The Protégé
Solomon Whitaker is an American intermedia artist working across drawing, writing, and music. He earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and studied writing at the University of Iowa. In Austin, he founded Cedar Valley Spirits Gallery, fostering a local arts community. After returning to Chicago, he joined Rogers Park Art Gallery as co-manager.