A Testimony in Art

By Sherry Neaves

Arlington—Cris Baird did not set out to be an art collector–he just bought images that spoke to him. And, in the beginning, they weren’t original oil paintings, but rather reproductions of Depression-era prints advertising national parks.

“We saw the posters years ago at Yellowstone. The prints were fine lithographs. We bought them, had them framed and have them still.” The Baird collection had begun.

Art is a family heritage for Cris, whose grandmother was a niece of early pioneer painter John Hafen, one of four artists sent to Paris by Brigham Young to study art so that they could paint the interiors of the Salt Lake Temple. His grandmother had an original John Hafen displayed in her home that Cris remembers from childhood.

“When I was in law school, she passed away and the family had to figure out what to do with the painting,” he said. Eventually it was sold to a collector, who donated the work to the Springville Utah Art Museum. As part of the sales process, a limited run of 50 prints were made of the painting. At the time, Cris and his wife Janae were “poor college students” and the purchase price of the prints was a stretch for their budget, but the print was their next step into the world of art collecting.

Once they left college behind, and Cris began his law practice, finances allowed him more freedom to  invest in art. “I had always had an interest, but not always the means,” he explained. They made their first purchases in Fredericksburg, Texas, a hill country town filled with artists and art galleries.

“I’ve always been a sucker for bright colors,” Cris said, “and we bought three small paintings of Texas landscapes. Talking with the gallery owner, I asked, ‘where would you put art?’ He said an entryway or a bathroom. Though it seemed an odd response at the time, sure enough, “First they were in our entryway, now they’re in the bathroom.”

That’s because the Baird’s soaring entry is now filled with much larger pieces from his ever-growing collection.

Rather haphazard at first, the collection is now much more focused. “I started learning about building a collection,” Cris said. “A collection needs to tell a story. So, I asked my self what story do I want to tell? Who will it benefit?”

Inspired by a talk by President Spencer W. Kimball in which the prophet exhorted the LDS community to develop its own great artists, writers, and musicians, Cris determined that “if you’re going to have a thriving LDS art community, you need patrons.” So, he became one.

Wanting to support LDS artists, Cris googled Mormon Artists and found Mormon Artist magazine online (http://mormonartist.net), and the Mormon Artists Group website,(http://mormonartistsgroup.com/Mormon_Artists_Group/Welcome.html) which is run by Glen Nelson, from New York City. There he learned that many LDS artists are exhibiting their work in prestigious galleries both in New York and in other major cities.

“I decided my goal was to strengthen, enhance and support the LDS artist community,” Cris said. So he began to seek LDS artists and art works. The quest led him first to J. Kirk Richards, a painter whose work often appears in the Ensign Magazine.

“From there it grew,” Cris said. Today the Baird home is filled with art testifying of Christ and the restoration of the gospel. And the Baird collection has expanded far beyond the walls of their home. “She Will Find What is Lost,” a contemporary work by Brian Kershisnik, was purchased by the Bairds and loaned to the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City (where many of their friends have taken pictures of themselves with the painting).

Other artists in the Baird collection include James C. Christensen, Valerie Atkinson, Rob Buchert, Richard Leray, Caitlin Connoly, and Walter Rane. All have websites to explore.

Some in the collection, without an internet presence, include Joseph Paul Vorst, Wulf Barsch, John Held, Jr., and Mahonri Moriancumr Young.

“One of the things I love about the art collection is that every piece has a story,” Cris explained.

One of the collection’s more unusual artists is Ultra Violet (Isabelle Collin Dufresne), once part of pop artist Andy Warhol’s group, The Factory, and a one-time girlfriend of surrealist Salvador Dali. “Later in life, she joined the LDS Church,” Cris said. “Self Portrait,” hanging in the Baird’s study, is one of the last works she produced before her death in 2014.

“Lately the collection has veered into more contemporary works,” Cris said. He has also added more works by female artists and works in differing artistic genres–drawings, sculptures, illustrated books.

But, Cris’ favorite work in the collection was painted last summer by Casey Childs–a portrait of Janae. The piece has been on loan to the Springville Museum of Art, but will soon grace the Baird home.

Featured Image: Girl in the Hollyhocks by John Hafen