University of Windsor professor emeritus and pioneering conceptual artist Iain Baxter& has been named one of 84 new fellows elected to the Royal Society of Canada.

Since 1966, Baxter& has been internationally recognized for producing works that question the role of art as commodity and as a medium for cultural commentary. Baxter& was the first artist to adopt a corporate persona, forming the N.E. Thing Company with Ingrid Baxter in 1966. NETCO produced works ranging from conceptual, satirical, vacuum-formed still lives to post-modern appropriations of noted artworks. He has received numerous awards, including a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2004, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003.

Baxter& legally changed his name from Baxter in 2005 as a “non-authorial take on art production… an unending collaboration with the viewer and the means to question the artist’s role.”

He produced a series of sculptural work using the ampersand, including And, a 10-foot inflatable silver version he produced in 2008.

Royal Society members are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. Election to the Royal Society is considered to be the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and sciences.

The Royal Society of Canada was founded in 1882 with a mission of recognizing scholarly research and artistic excellence; advising governments and organizations; and promoting a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.

Professor Baxter& will be inducted to the academies of the society during a November 16 ceremony in Banff.