Susanna Baumgart, the Senior Artist for the Department of Geography, passed away in her sleep in the early hours of December 1. To quote our Chair, Keith Clarke:
“It is with great sadness that I announce to the Department the death of our Graphic Artist, Susanna Baumgart, early this morning. Susanna had spent the last year in hospice, after making a very courageous decision not to treat a third occurrence of ovarian cancer. Several Geography staff, students, and faculty were involved with Susanna’s care and treatment, and to those I offer an immense thank you on behalf of all of us. I know that it meant a great deal to Susanna, and it was a comfort to her to have such friends.
Susanna’s artistic spirit remains with us in many ways. She created artwork, took photographs, and wrote and edited text for us so many times, including on the department web site. She and I were co-authors on last year’s paper recounting the history of the Department, of which she was an important part herself, having also been a student here many years ago. She will be greatly missed.”
Susanna lived for her artwork, and her dream of having a major solo exhibition of her work came true last April, thanks to the Santa Barbara Dream Foundation (see the April 22, 2005 News article). Susanna’s artwork ranged from illustrating children’s books to nature photography. Her artwork for the Department was prodigious and included innumerable posters, many unique creations for faculty, and the graphic presentation of the history of the Department alluded to by Keith Clarke, which remains on permanent display in the Department. Susanna’s personal favorites can be seen here. As Susanna was fond of saying, "Ars longis, vita brevis": "Art is long, life is short." Amen.
A memorial service for Susanna will be held on Saturday, December 17th at 2:00 PM at the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 2101 State St. Santa Barbara 93105 (State & Padre). A reception will follow on the church patio. If you wish, please bring snacks to share, preferably made from organic products. Church volunteers will provide Coffee, tea, and water.
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