Remembering Jim Owen and his Mentorship at Gould

7/7/2023

Gould’s best asset is its people. People build meaningful, enduring relationships here. It’s true for students but equally so for faculty and staff. Gould faculty are connected by a shared purpose and bound by decades of time-honored traditions. Experienced, innovative, and creative teachers mentor newcomers and pass on the lessons and methods they learned when they arrived. They eat meals together daily, encourage each other in the classroom and on the sports fields, have helped raise each other’s children, traveled the globe together, and ventured into the Maine woods and mountains for orientation and Four Point trips. A life at Gould is a life well lived, and seeing the familiar faces of former Gould educators on campus for former art teacher Jim Owen’s memorial service earlier this summer served as a reminder of just how much legacies live on at Gould today.

Art teacher Lauren Head P’01, ’05, ’07, ’09, ’21, and former art teacher Jan Baker P’05 took the opportunity to contemplate these deep connections and recognized his mentorship’s profound impact on generations of Gould students and faculty.

Lauren’s Story

Lauren Head met Jim when she arrived at Gould in 1985 to coach ski racing. Little did she know she would become a member of the art department. While Lauren came to Gould as a ski coach, she was an art major at Hobart and William Smith. Jan Baker took a leave of absence, and Lauren stepped in. Thus began her 37-year career as an art teacher at Gould.

She learned the ropes that winter with Jan and Jim Owen as her mentors.

The three of them formed a close-knit team. They collaborated, shared ideas, and supported one another in their personal artistic pursuits. Lauren describes Jim as a visionary leader who led with a vibrant energy that spread to the students.

“This energy started long before Jan and I showed up,” says Lauren. “Jim was the visionary behind Gould’s art program. He established the art cottage, the darkrooms, a marching band and orchestra, and a gallery. He represented the school while President of the Maine Art Educators Association, was a state representative to the National Art Education Association, and served on the Maine Arts and Humanities Commission board. Glassblowing, color photography, jewelry, and ceramics were just some of the courses he introduced to Gould.”

Jim invested significant time and effort into refining the art curriculum and recognized the importance of a solid foundation for students.

“That Design course was tough!” recalls Lauren. “Who knew that drawing boxes and cow skulls were also ways of teaching problem-solving, cultivating fine motor skills, honing concentration, and promoting follow-through? It was a lot about putting in the time.”

Jim’s passion for the arts was infectious, and he created an environment where students’ creativity could thrive. He inspired students to pursue their love for the arts and instilled the confidence to do so.

Jim welcomed Lauren into his classes and shared his teaching methods. She learned how to make jewelry and throw pots. Jim and then Head of School Bill Clough encouraged her to learn blacksmithing and introduce it to the curriculum. To this day, it remains one of the most popular courses at Gould. Jim also introduced Lauren to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle and the importance of continuous learning. Lauren has continued her professional development there many times over the years.

“He advocated for embracing new ideas and brought energy to inspire his students,” explains Lauren. “Jim believed in mentorship. He viewed the studio as a space for collaboration and teamwork, embracing a model like a master working with apprentices. To see that pottery studio in action was quite something. Kids pugging clay, firing kilns, making glazes, cleaning, and more cleaning. They were in it together, all working toward a common goal.”

During Lauren’s remarks, she observed that “people define the spirit of a place” and stated, “Jim Owen left an indelible mark on the institution of Gould Academy.” He inspired generations of Gould art students, and his teaching lives on in Lauren and all of the students she has taught.

“One of the greatest joys in my life is witnessing how the lessons and values Mr. Owen [taught] to me have been passed through to my students,” she says. “He is a part of their hands, minds, and souls. The artwork they create has his essence intricately woven into it.”

In the end, Lauren expressed gratitude. She talked about how thankful she is for her time with Jim.

“I am grateful for the memories, the lessons learned, and the lasting impact of Jim's mentorship and friendship. His legacy will always inspire me and guide me as an art educator. I am honored to carry the spirit he left with me, and I hope his torch will continue to be passed on through the generations of artists now in our midsts.”

Jan’s Thoughts

Jan Baker was hired as a Gould art teacher in 1978 after completing her Master's at the Rhode Island School of Design. Like Lauren, Jim’s strong mentorship was also central to her success.

“Jim was the potter, silversmith, and glassblower,” says Jan. “I was assigned design, drawing, and printmaking. Design was a magnificent course created by Jim that covered two-dimensional principles and included a series of problems to solve in black and white and color. Jim taught one section with me watching, and I taught the other two on my own during the first semester.”

Jan would visit Jim and Lucia’s house every day after classes and sit in the kitchen, meticulously recounting everything she had done in her courses that day. Jim would listen intently without interrupting, only to chime in when she had finished.

“Sounds good,” Jim would say. “Would you like a Manhattan?”

For weeks they continued the ritual of enjoying a drink together in earthenware ceramic tumblers hand-made by Jim. It allowed Jan to process and make sense of everything she was learning in the Art Cottage.

“Experience has taught me that this was the best form of mentoring a person could have,” says Jan. “That kind of mentoring probably doesn’t exist anymore, but it was the genius of Jim Owen—put a degree of trust in a person, and let them run with it.”

Another facet of Jim’s teaching and mentoring style that likely no longer exists was his critiquing style. He knew that complacency was the enemy of progress; thus, the “critique hammer” was born.

Jan explains how it taught students an essential lesson in reality. “Critiques were fair and helpful. In the ‘Pot Shop,’ the critique hammer was the last word. If your work wasn’t up to the standard everyone agreed to at the beginning of the course, it was dealt the blow of the hammer. No one complained. Some pots were not worth the glaze and the kiln time. You got better and were proud of yourself and your efforts.”

Jan also closed with gratitude and perspective.

“So many benefitted from Jim Owen’s way of viewing the world. I had the good fortune to spend many years sharing ideas, successes, failures, and laughs with him, and I am truly grateful.”

Jim Owen’s impact on Gould is apparent. It is found in the forge where Lauren Head teaches blacksmithing. It is felt in the Art Cottage by students taking design, silversmithing, and ceramics, the courses he shaped. And it is experienced by the entire community in the remarkable student collections displayed in the art gallery that bears his name.

“Inspired by Owen”

During Alumni Weekend the Owen Art Gallery will host a show called "Inspired by Owen." If you are an artist who would like to share the impact that Jim Owen had on you, this is your chance! We hope to fill the space with beautiful art along with beautifully written tributes to Jim. If you are interested in being a part of this show, please reach out to Denise Manning, who will be supporting Lucia, Lauren, and Jan in their efforts. Contact Denise by email or by phone at 207-824-7790.

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