Visual artist Iain Baxter& explores language, connection and the role of chance in creativity. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
For Iain Baxter&, a University of Windsor professor emeritus, visual artist and companion of the Order of Canada, ideas are never static.
They shift, evolve and connect in ways that at times resist definition.
Recognized as a pioneering Canadian conceptual artist, Baxter& has spent decades exploring how meaning is formed, not just through objects, but through language, relationships and the unexpected intersections of everyday life.
His work challenges viewers to think beyond what they see, asking not only “What is this?” but “What else could it be?”
At the centre of that thinking is a deep sense of curiosity.
“I’m very interested in the concept of knowledge itself,” he says, reflecting on what continues to motivate him. “I’m fascinated by how new ideas are always emerging, while historical knowledge continues to inform them and how the two ultimately fuse.”
For Baxter&, curiosity is not passive. It is active, persistent and open-ended — a way of engaging with the world that allows ideas to move freely between disciplines, experiences and conversations.
His work does not separate art from life, or creativity from inquiry. Instead, it operates in the space between them.
That “in-between” space is perhaps best captured in his enduring fascination with one word: “and.”
In his view, “and” is not just a conjunction, but a conceptual tool — a symbol of connection and continuity. He has described it as the “DNA of our language,” an essential element that binds ideas together.
Through that lens, nothing exists in isolation. Ideas connect to other ideas. People connect to other people. One moment leads to another — and then another.
This interest in language has long run throughout his work. Words are not simply vehicles for meaning; they are material.
They can be examined, rearranged and reimagined. A shift in perspective — reading something forward and backward, isolating a fragment within a larger word — can open entirely new interpretations.
These gestures are deceptively simple, yet they reflect a larger idea: that meaning is never fixed, but always dependent on context.
That openness to context is also where other ideas begin to take shape — notably serendipity.
“I’ve had several serendipitous meetings,” says Baxter&. “Some began as casual conversations, others as chance introductions, but each carried the potential to spark new work or lead me in a direction I had never planned to take.”
For Baxter&, these unplanned moments are not interruptions. They are essential, reinforcing his belief that discovery often happens when we are not deliberately searching for it.
It is a philosophy rooted in attentiveness — in staying open to what unfolds and receptive to possibility.
That openness extends beyond the studio, shaping how he moves through the world, engages with others and understands creativity itself.
Rather than relying on rigid plans, he allows ideas to emerge through experience, conversation and observation — a mindset that also informs how he approaches chance.
He sees chance not simply as randomness, but as an openness to the unexpected — a willingness to trust that unplanned moments can lead to meaningful outcomes.
Throughout his life and career, chance has shaped encounters, relationships and directions he could not have anticipated, reinforcing his belief that creativity often emerges through circumstance rather than control.
That idea becomes even more tangible in his relationship with his wife, Louise Chance-Baxter, where the word takes on literal resonance.
Baxter& has said that she “took a chance” on him, transforming the phrase into something layered with deeper meaning.
For Baxter&, that idea extends far beyond language, shaping how he understands both his work and the role uncertainty plays in it.
“Chance is a really important thing,” he says. “You have to stay open to it, because you never know where it might lead.”