Margaret E. Baker

I am a photographer, filmmaker, educator & content creator positioned at the intersection of storytelling and media. With my traditional and creative research projects centering around issues of race, memory, and mythmaking, I am passionate about using media to connect individuals around the world though the power of great storytelling. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media at North Carolina State University.

At A Glance

Storytelling

I am a storyteller at heart; the stories only change project to project. I believe stories change the world, and without them, we miss the beauty and splendor of the people around us.

Education

Education is at the heart of my work - offering tools and platforms to bring a vision to life. It’s my passion to work alongside my students to grow their skills and abilities.

Media Production

Media production is the primary methodological component of the work. I use video production, photography, graphic design, web work and other tools to highlight the stories of others.

Race & Memory

My primary research area focuses on issues of race and memory, and how societies memorialize, remember, understand and articulate issues of race. I primarily work in American and South African issues of race.


Some of the Work

In my work, I strive to bring structure, humanity, joy and pathos to a project. For me, creation is finding a common language with your collaborators, and welcoming a diverse range of feedback, from colleagues, collaborators, and others distanced from the project. It's key to know when to take it on or let it go. Creation should be, in an ideal world, an act of joy for all, and I actively work to cultivate that world.

This piece demonstrates a small selection of the projects with which I've gotten the opportunity to work. From documentary to corporate, commercial and athletics, each project offers a fresh challenge, and a new story to help tell. Enjoy.


Artist Statement

My creative practice combines historical research and documentary practices with an interest in exploring sociopolitical movements and the ways in which narratives are shaped by personal and collective choice. Through photography, audio, writing, and video, I investigate objects, testimonies, documents, and symbols to explore connections with our past as it relates to memory, history, the present, and our future. In the space generated between history and nostalgia that holds memory, I consider the ways in which we (individually and collectively) present ourselves, materially and visually. By revealing personal stories and collective history side by side, I try to visualize the complexity of memory, history, and identity. Methodologically, I live by the mantra, “constantly creating.” I long for a world in which we use dialogues to challenge one another's ideas in nonviolent ways. In attempting to understand the works and experiences of individuals different from ourselves, our empathy can grow. My hope is that my work can contribute to this goal by highlighting the importance of acknowledging different perspectives and histories. Although my authorial voice is always present, I aim to be somewhat invisible in the results of my work. My work is not about me, but about creating a space for others to share their own narratives and to challenge conventional understandings of history and identity. I constantly strive to be open to criticism and learn how to communicate effectively without causing hurt. Through interdisciplinary approaches and a commitment to constantly learning and growing, I aim to create work that engages and challenges viewers while simultaneously creating a sense of connection and community.

Curriculum Vitae

Storyteller, Educator, Creator

Education

2020-[ant.] 2024
North Carolina State University

PhD Candidate In Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media

Dissertation: Seeing the South: Racism, Reclamation & Memory-Making in the Upstate

Committee: Jessica Jameson (chair; NC State University), Victoria Gallagher
(NC State University), Jason Miller (NC State University), Marsha Gordon (NC State University), Ariel Seay-Howard (NC State University)

2016-2017
Elon University

MA in Interactive Media

Department of Communication
Capstone Project: Non-profit Fundraising Using Virtual Reality Technologies
Capstone Supervisor: Derek Lackaff

2012-2015
Campbell University

BA in Communication Studies

Magna Cum Laude
Department of Communication Studies
Concentration: Broadcasting & Electronic Media
Minor: Religion

Teaching Experience

2020-Current
North Carolina State University

Instructor, Department of Communication

  • Video Production (COM 334): Spring 2021 - Fall 2023, 5 Sections
  • Advanced Video Production (COM 434): Spring 2022 - Spring 2024, 3 Sections
  • Special Topics in Documentary Storytelling (COM 395): Spring 2023
  • Intro to Public Speaking (COM 110): Fall 2020 & Summer 2021, 3 sections
2018-2023
Campbell University

Adjunct Professor, Department of Communication Studies

  • Introduction to Photography (COMM 233): Spring 2018 - Spring 2023, 10 Sections
  • Converged Media Design (COMM 411): Fall 2019 - Fall 2022, 4 Sections
  • Special Topics in Introduction to Interactive Media & Gaming (COMM 299): Spring 2020
  • Cross-Cultural Communication (COMM 430): Spring 2019

Invited Teaching Presentations

Baker, M. (2024). King and the Klan: A Visual Experience. [Invited Presentation.] Presented for HSS 201, Transformative Texts in American Life: Engaging Across Difference, NC State University.

Baker, M. (2023). Storyboarding for Storytelling. [Guest Lecture.] Presented for COM 267, Electronic Media Writing, NC State University.

Baker, M. & Dufresne, K. (2022). Esse Quam Videri: “Make America Again” [Invited Presentation.] Presented for ENG 495, Langston Hughes: From Pop Culture to the Civil Rights Movement, NC State University.

Baker, M. (2022). A Journey into Human Tragedy: Public Memory Reconstruction of the Antebellum South in 12 Years A Slave [Invited Presentation.] Presented for COMG 451, Visual Rhetoric, NC State University.

Research Experience

Fall 2023- Spring 2024
North Carolina State University

Creative Developer, King and the Klan: A Visual Experience

  • Conceptualized and created digital installation at the D.H. Hill Visualization Studio using newly discovered color film footage of the Klan and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Directed and edited a complementary short documentary film contextualizing the event’s significance to the university and local community.
  • Led and provided support for multiple screening events including a 250+ person grand opening at the D.H. Hill Visualization Studio.
Fall 2021-Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

Research Assistant, virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Project

  • Led visual development for new phase of listening experience at the D.H. Hill Visualization Studio
  • Offered directional guidance and technical assistance on multiple video-based elements for the project
  • Collaborated with other research assistants to  produce quantitative and qualitative year-end report of COM 110 participation and experience feedback
  • Participated in COM 110 instructor orientation and facilitated COM 110 in-person vMLK listening experiences

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications

Dial, A.J. & Baker, M. (2024). “Algo(rhy)thms.” Afterimage. (Accepted).

Baker, M. (2023). "Rewriting Public Memory: Documentary Filmmaking and the Restoration of Rose Hill." Carolinas Communication Journal.

Book Chapters

Baker, M. (2024). "Between the Camera and the Self: Positionality and Reflexivity as a Scholar-Maker." Acosta, K., Cowan, M., Rickly, R., Sinor, S., Small, N. & Stone, E. (Eds). Postionality Stories in Storied Practices: Positionality in Writing Studies. (Accepted.)

Book Reviews

Baker, M. (2021). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design, 3rd ed., by Gunter Kress and Theo van Leeuwen, Visual Communication Quarterly, 28:4, 253-254,

Digital Publications

Baker, M. (2022). Remixing Apartheid: An Analog/Digital Experience. In Media Res. https://mediacommons.org/imr/content/remixing-apartheid-analogdigital-experience

Baker, M. (2021). Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations. Visualizing Objects, Places, and Spaces: A Digital Project Handbook.

Honors & Awards

2023
North Carolina State University

[Nominated] Eric Moore Outstanding Senator of the Year Award

Awarded by the Student Senate

2023
North Carolina State University

[Nominated] Outstanding New Senator Award

Awarded by the Student Senate

2023
North Carolina State University

Outstanding Teaching Award

Awarded by the Graduate Student Association

2022
North Carolina State University

Representative of the Year

Awarded by the Graduate Student Association

2022
North Carolina State University

Outstanding Teaching Award

Awarded by the Graduate Student Association

2021
North Carolina State University

Humanities Award Winner

Awarded at the College of Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate Research Symposium.

2021
North Carolina State University

Teaching Award

Awarded by the Graduate Student Association.
2020-2025
North Carolina State University

Doctoral Fellowship

Awarded by the Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media program. 
2016-2017
Elon University

Academic Scholarship

Awarded by the MA in Interactive Media program.

2014
Campbell University

Academic Induction

Awarded by the Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society.

2012-2015
Campbell University

Academic Scholarship

Awarded by Campbell University.

Public Lectures & Presentations

Referred Conference Proceedings

Baker, M. (2023). A Tool of Resistance: A Visual Content Analysis of Anti-Apartheid Photography. [competitively selected paper presentation.] Presented at the 2023 National Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2022). Journey Into Human Tragedy: Public Memory Reconstruction of the Antebellum South in 12 Years A Slave. [conference presentation.] Presented at the 2022 Southern States Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2022). Contested Memories of the Confederacy: Civil War Monuments of the North Carolina Capitol Grounds. [competitively selected paper presentation.] Presented at the 2022 Southern States Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2021). Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations. [conference presentation.] Presented at the 2021 National Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2021). Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations, Digital Project. [competitively selected research presentation.] Project presented at the 2021 NC State Graduate Research Symposium. Virtual Conference.

Baker, M. (2021). Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations, Digital Project. [competitively selected research presentation.] Project presented at the 2021 Chesapeake Digital Humanities Consortium. Virtual Conference.

Research Presentations

Baker, M. (2023). Amplifying Voices of Black Communities: The Power of Storytelling. [conference presentation.] Presented at the 2023 NC State University Black Research Symposium.

Baker, M. (2023). Documentary Production: Building Equity in the Filmmaking Space. [conference presentation.] Presented at the 2023 NC State University Equity Research Symposium.

Dial, A. & Baker, M. (2022). Technology, Race & Culture, In the Mix. [conference presentation]. Project presented at the 2022 Internet Research Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers.

Baker, M. (2022). Beyond the Barricades, Reimagined. [conference presentation.] Presented at the 2022 Computers and Writing Conference: Practicing Digital Activisms.

Baker, M. (2022). A Multimodal Apartheid: A Digital Humanities Approach. [podcast.] Presented on the NC State Hot Topics in Data Science webinar series.

Dufresne, K & Baker, M. (2022). Esse Quam Videri: Make America Again. [conference presentation.] Project presented at the 2022 NC State University Equity Research Symposium.

Baker, M. (2021). Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations, Digital Project. [invited conference presentation.] Project presented at the 2021 Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Symposium. Virtual Conference

Conference Roundtables

Baker, M. (2023). Is Liberty and Justice Truly for All?: Graduate Students Tackling Important Activism and Social Justice Topics on Freedom. [conference roundtable.] Presented at the 2023 National Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2023). Co-Creating a Bright Future: Reducing Barriers to Equitable Graduate Student Experiences. [conference roundtable.] Presented at the 2023 Southern States Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M. (2023). The Future of Communication and Public Scholarship. [conference roundtable.] Presented at the 2023 Southern States Communication Association Conference.

Baker, M., Ham, D., Hill, D., Rainey, H., Bostian, J., Addy, S., & Tomlinson, C. (2022). From Cooperation to Collaboration: Interdisciplinary Joy. [Workshop Presentation.] Presented at The Virtual MLK Project: ACLS Digital Extension Workshop.

Rosenfeld, C., Fennimore, J., Friedman, M., Baker, M., & Stout, B. (2022). vMLK in the Public Speaking Classroom. [Workshop Presentation.] Presented at The Virtual MLK Project: ACLS Digital Extension Workshop.

Screenings

Baker, M. (2024). "Kind and the Klan: A Visual Experience" Project debut at North Carolina State University Cyma Rubin Visualization Gallery, DH Hill Library.

Baker, M. (2023). Restoring Rose Hill. Screening at North Carolina State University Teaching and Visualization Lab, Hunt Library.

Baker, M. (2023). Restoring Rose Hill. Project debut at Rose Hill Plantation and State Historic Site, Union, SC.

Baker, M. (2022). Esse Quam Videri: “Make America Again”. Project Showcased & Debuted at North Carolina State University Innovation Studio, DH Hill Library.

Baker, M. (2021). Beyond the Barricades, Reimagined. Project Screened for Communication 528 Critical Media Making Showcase.

Professional Affiliations

Society of Cinema and Media Studies | 2023 - Current

National Communication Association | 2020 - Current

Southern States Communication Association | 2020 - Current

Professional Service

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Gertrude Cox Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology Award Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching Award Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Holladay Medal Award Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Outstanding Teacher Award Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

O. Max Gardner Award Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Commencement Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Transportation Appeals Board

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Student Fee Review Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Tuition Review Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Wellness Advisory Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

University Council

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Student Mental Health Task Force Steering Committee

President, Graduate Student Association

2023-2024
North Carolina State University

President

Graduate Student Association

Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

President-Elect

Graduate Student Association
Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

Student Mental Health Task Force Steering Committee

President-Elect, Graduate Student Association
Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

Gertrude Cox Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology Award Committee

President-Elect, Graduate Student Association
Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

Department of Communication Make Media ’23 Planning

Graduate Student
Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

Department of Communication Production Curriculum Review

Graduate Student
Spring 2023
North Carolina State University

CRDM Cording Ceremony Committee Planning Committee

CRDM Student Association
2022-2023
DHC-NC

Secretary

Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina
2022-2023
North Carolina State University

Chair, Academics Committee

Student Senate

2022-2023
North Carolina State University

Representative

Student Senate

2022-2023
North Carolina State University

Program Committee Representative

CRDM Student Association
Spring 2022
North Carolina State University

CRDM Cording Ceremony Committee Planning Committee

CRDM Student Association
2023-2024
North Carolina State University

Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching

President, Graduate Student Association

2021-2022
North Carolina State University

Representative, CRDM Student Association

Graduate Student Association

Technical Skills

Design

Adobe CC Illustrator

90%

Adobe CC InDesign

80%

Adobe CC Photoshop

85%

Adobe CC Lightroom

100%

Adobe CC Bridge

100%

Production

Adobe CC Premiere Pro

100%

Adobe CC Premiere Rush

100%

Adobe CC After Effects

75%

Adobe CC Audition

60%

Cinema 4D

50%

DaVinci Resolve

60%

Final Cut Pro X

60%

Front-End Development

HTML

90%

CSS

90%

JavaScript

50%

Professional Experience

2014-Current
Margaret Baker Creative

Owner & Principal Photographer

2017-Current
Stanley Dentistry

Creative Director

2016-2017
Cary Christian School

Marketing Intern

2016-2017
The Summit Church

Communications Intern

2014-2015
Campbell University

Football Post-Production Manager

Community Engagement

2017-Current
Bound Together: Eswatini Partnership

Digital Coordinator

2013
Campus Outreach, Manila, Philippines

Volunteer Member

References Upon Request

Projects

My Works
King & the Klan: A Visual Experience 

King & the Klan: A Visual Experience 

Media, Video Production
[forthcoming] Seeing the South: Racism, Reclamation & Memory-Making in the Upstate

[forthcoming] Seeing the South: Racism, Reclamation & Memory-Making in the Upstate

Media, Video Production
Restoring Rose Hill

Restoring Rose Hill

Media, Video Production
Esse Quam Videri: Make America Again

Esse Quam Videri: Make America Again

Development, Media, Video Production
Beyond the Barricades, Reimagined.

Beyond the Barricades, Reimagined.

Design, Media, Video Production
Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations

Reframing the Remains: An Infrastructural Remediation of North Carolina Plantations

Design, Media
The Eswatini Partnership

The Eswatini Partnership

Design, Development, Media
Duke Life Flight

Duke Life Flight

Media, Video Production
Fundación Piedad

Fundación Piedad

Media, Video Production

Contact

Get in Touch

+1 (919)389-5470

Raleigh, NC

mebaker7@ncsu.edu

How Can I Help You?

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