with Naomi Meyer

Art Town is a podcast based in upstate New York, hosted by artist and educator Justin Baker. Each month, Baker engages in thoughtful conversations with regional artists and artisans, exploring their work, creative processes, and the lives they lead. In this special episode of Art Town, I sit down with Naomi Meyer — my high school art teacher and someone who had a profound impact on my life, both as an artist and an educator. We talk about her path through art school, what led her into teaching, and the influence of her own high school art teacher. Naomi also reflects on 30 years in the classroom, the changing nature of students, and — yes — what I was like as a quiet teenager trying to find my creative voice. This conversation marks the beginning of a more personal season of Art Town, one that occasionally looks back in order to better understand where we are now. Theme music by Phantogram Interlude sound: School Bell Closing music by Phantogram