ABOUT KEEPITREAL.GALLERY
Blog
I must confess I am a reluctant blogger. But after years of prodding from my family and close friends I acquiesced. In this blog I will post ideas, reflections, questions as well as images of my artwork – excerpts from my visual journal. I have been described by those who know me best as lacking guile, so it seems fitting to entitle my blog “keep it real.” My hope is that you will find this blog useful and thought provoking.
Paintings
Like many artists I paint because I need to. After telling me that “painters paint,” a mentor challenged me to complete a painting everyday for an entire year. That challenge resonated with me so deeply I began painting three small paintings each day and I have maintained the discipline for over 20 years. I consider this work a visual journal – one single work of art that is complex, fragmented and ever changing. Most of these works are non-objective, abstract works that explore the basic building blocks of our visual world. I work in series to develop a field which can be used as a tool to make critical observations. This field also creates an environment with relationships and experiences which extend beyond the singular painting. My goal has never been to create a masterpiece, but rather engage in a persistent exploration. This mindset has made this effort immensely rewarding and satisfying.
Writings
My writings are about the things we make and those things with which we choose to surround ourselves. It is my belief that these objects and environments simultaneously reflect who we are and shape who we will become. There is not enough reflection on the things we make and the important role they play in our lives. The substance of my posts are folded into simple stories, experiences and observations. I aim to raise important, timely issues wrapped in an accessible, unassuming package. I imagine some intellectuals would prefer a more academic presentation while others will feel they are missing the point. There might also be a frustration because I don’t intend to lead readers to a clear answer or solution. The writings are left open-ended like my artwork. My preference is to “make things”, so, keep in mind that writing is not my first language.
ABOUT DAVID BAIRD
David Baird was raised in Iowa City, Iowa, and benefited from the diverse thought and expression cultivated in a college town. The child of educators, (his father a professor, his mother an elementary school teacher) he was encouraged in his creative pursuits from an early age.
Baird has been a professional artist since 1990. His art work has been exhibited in over 50 venues across the country including seven museums. He has had solo exhibitions in Paris France and Mittersill,
Austria. His work has won several awards and has been recognized by Peter Frank–The Village Voice; Jane Aldin–Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC; George P. Schneider–The Arts Institute of Chicago; Beth Handler—Museum of Modern Art, NYC, Phyllis Braff– New York Times; Fiona Ragheb—Guggenheim Museum, NYC; Helen Harrison– Pollack-Krasner House; Lisa Phillips and David Kiehl, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC.
Baird studied architecture at the University of Illinois, Champaign and received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1987. From Champaign, Illinois, he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he studied and worked for a Danish design firm. Upon his return to the United States, David was offered an assistantship at the University of Arizona, Tucson, which he accepted. There he studied art and
architecture and obtained a Master of Architecture Degree in 1991. Since graduation Baird has published over 20 academic papers, lectured at a dozen major universities and has received major grants that have supported his architectural investigations. This work has been recognized by his peers, published extensively and given numerous awards.
David is currently professor of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, College of Fine Arts which houses Nevada’s premier accredited design programs in Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Planning and Architecture. He is also the co-founder of +one design and construction – an award-winning firm www.plus1dc.com. These platforms are an outlet for his socially responsible art and architecture.
ABBREVIATED RESUME
Education
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, Master of Architecture, 1990-1991.
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, Bachelor of Architecture, 1989-1990.
D.I.S. (Danish International Studies), Copenhagen, Denmark, Architectural Studies, 1987-1988.
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 1983-1987.
Architectural License, State of Louisiana, No. 5935.
NCARB Registration, No. 5935.
American Institute of Architects, No. 30139055
Academic Experience
University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Architecture, 2016 – Present. Professor of Architecture: Responsibilities include teaching design/studio, research methods and architectural theory.
University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Architecture, 2009 – 2015. Director of the School of Architecture (SoA), Responsible for oversight and operations of all SoA activities including facilities, staffing, scheduling, curriculum and budgets. The School of Architecture serves over 500 declared majors and includes accredited programs in Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning and Architecture.
Louisiana State University School of Architecture, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1995-2009. Professor of Architecture: Responsibilities include teaching design/ studio, digital fabrication, drawing, introductory structures.
Grants (selected)
Historic Urban Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan for Historic Westside Las Vegas. 2015-2016. Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission, $106,000.
Food District Master Plan. Spring 2012 – 2014. Nevada Community Foundation Las Vegas Nevada. $50,000.
United States Department of Energy, Solar Decathlon Grant. Spring 2012 – 2014. $150,000.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Spring 2011. Building Hope Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada. $80,000.
City Impact Center. Spring 2010. Nevada Community Foundation Las Vegas Nevada. $5,000.
Public School Library Planning and Future Library Design Grant. (Gates Foundation). Summer 2009. St Bernard Parish Library System. $70,000.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/ Louisiana Department of Social Services. Summer, 2007. Technical Assistance for Louisiana Childcare Providers. $225,000.
Karavan Pakistan Programme for Indigenous Technology (KAPIT), Earthquake Relief Effort. 2005-2006. $11,000.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2004-2006. HUD COPC Community Future Demonstration Initiative. $790,000.
V.I. and Habitat for Humanity. 2005-2006. CORE House. $42,000.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2001-2004. $399,766.
State of Louisiana Arts Council Artist Fellowship. 2003-2004. $5000.
T-Com International, Sherpaq, Anonymous Donor, Baton Rouge Vineyard and Trinity Christian Center of Baton Rouge. Border Project. $37,400.
Kids Club. Fall, 2007. 150 Influential Chicagoans. $35,000.
V.I. and Habitat for Humanity. 2004-2005. VI/Habitat/LSU Design Construct Project. $75,000.
Vinyl Institute. 2002-2003. Urban Studio. $15,550.
Louisiana Education Quality Support Fund (LEQSF). 1997-1998. The Dialogues of Architecture: Prioritizing and Orchestrating Diverse Areas of Knowledge. $160,000.
Awards (selected)
AIA Gold Rose Award AIA Design Award, for WFCW Office. August 2016
AIA Nevada Un-built Design Awards, Honor Award for Kumquat House. 2014
ASLA Nevada Design Award for Las Vegas Food District, 2014
AIA Nevada Un-built Design Awards, Merit Award for Las Vegas Food District. 2013
AIA Gulf States Region Merit Award for the Scissor House. July, 2013.
AIA Nevada Un-built Design Awards, Merit Award for Christian Street Residence Two. 2012
AIA Gold Rose Award AIA Design Award, for Scissor House. August 2012
AIA National Small Projects Design Award. KIWI House. March, 2011.
Custom Home Design Award (CHDA) Merit Award given to Kiwi House. March 2011.
AIA Gulf States Region Honor Citation Award for the Kiwi House. July, 2010.
AIA Louisiana State Merit Award for Boathouse September, 2010.
AIA Louisiana State Merit Award for Kiwi House September, 2010.
AIA Baton Rouge, Louisiana Gold Rose Award for Kiwi House August, 2010.
AIA Member’s Choice Award for Kiwi House August 2010
AIA Silver Rose Design Award for Laurel Street Condominium Project. November, 2009.
AIA Louisiana State Honor Award for In the Shadows of the Interstate. January 2007.
AIA Louisiana State Merit Award Mixed-Use Project, Old South Baton Rouge. January 2007.
Top Forty Under Forty Award. The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. 2000.
AIA Arizona State Merit Award for Arizona Department of Transportation Facility, October 2, 1995.
Department of the Navy Design Excellence Award for the Naval Dormitory Complex, Fallon, Nevada., October 1994.
Publications (selected)
“People.” The Hundred Plan for The Historic Westside Community. Final Report May 2016. UNLV Downtown Design Center. PP 120-147.
Out of Scale: AIA Small Projects Awards. Kiwi House. Manack, Mark and Reeder, Linda. ORO Editions. June 2015. ISBN 1571650059. pp. 166-67
Reflecting and Projecting: 20 years of Design Excellence. Las Vegas, Nevada: UNLV School of Architecture. 2014. PP 1-10
Designed for Habitat: Collaborations with Habitat for Humanity. David Hinson and Justin Miller, Routledge, New York City 2013 ISBN 978-0-415-89108-0 Chapter 3: VHP House. PP 44-63.
“The Shotgun Reinvented: An Affordable Solution for Hurricane Survivors.” Southern Design and Building, Spring 2012. pp 20-23.
SPP Journal 54: 2011 Small Project Awards. http://www.aia.org/akr/Resources/Documents/AIAB091199.
“+one Design and Construction Wins National AIA Small Project Award.” Source+Design, November, 2011.
“Merit Award: Custom Home less that 3000 Square Feet.” Custom Home, May/June 2011. pp. 28.
“100 Houses We Love, 064.” Dwell 100. Dwell LLC. Publishers. August 2010, pp. 130.
“In the Shadows of the Interstate.” Architecture Louisiana 2007. pp 32 – 33.
“Old South Baton Rouge Mixed Use Project.” Architecture Louisiana 2007. pp 36.
Maynard, Nigil. “Architect’s Choice.” Residential Architect. August 2007.
“2241 Christian Street, Baton Rouge, LA.” Batture: High Winds, Hard Rains, Volume 3. 2007. pp 26-33.
“Transforming Space: The High Bar.” SEEN: The Journal of CIVA, Spring 2007 Vol. VILI 2007. pp. 10-11.
Roberts, Shaleen. “The Great Outdoors.” Innovative Home. Summer 2007. pp 66-73.
Finn, Donovan. “Roadside Attraction.” Dwell. March 2007. pp. 122-129.
“Modern Architecture.” Louisiana Speaks: Pattern Book. July 2006. pp. 68-71.
Nigel F. Maynard, Senior Editor. “Hipper Habitat.” Residential Architect. September 2005. p. 25.
“Deconstructing Christianity.” Faith and Form. November 2, 2000, pp. 19-20.
“1 Room, $3.50/square foot.” Architecture. May 2000. p. 177.
“The Mobile Studio Project.” JAE (Journal of Architectural Education). September 1999. pp. 44-45.
“Bi-National Communities and the Unregulated Colonia.” (co-authored) A.D. (Architectural Design): Architecture of the Borderlands. July-August 1999. pp. 13-15.
Mulder, Karen L. (ed.). “In Public View.” CIVA Journal. November 1998.
“Zion.” Faith and Form. January 1993. p. 33.
Conference Proceedings (selected)
“Iteration, Narrative and Collaboration.” AR (t) CHITECTURE. International Conference Proceedings. 2017. Technion Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel..
“Greenpoint Food District.” Shaping New Knowledges. 104th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. PP 67-68. 2016. Seattle, Washington.
“Kiwi House.” Re-Building. 98th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 4-7, 2010. New Orleans, Louisiana
“Nicholson Condos.” Re-Building. 98th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 4-7, 2010. New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Old South Baton Rouge.” Seeking the City; Visionaries on the Margins. 96th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 27 – 30, 2008. Houston, Texas.
“Christian Street Residence.” Seeking the City; Visionaries on the Margins. 96th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 27 – 30, 2008. Houston, Texas.
“Core House,” 96th Seeking the City; Visionaries on the Margins. 96th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 27 – 30, 2008. Houston, Texas.
“Billboard Investigations.” 96th ACSA Seeking the City; Visionaries on the Margins. 96th Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Proceedings. March 27 – 30, 2008. Houston, Texas.
“The Angel in the Ant Hill.” (co-authored) 1998 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture International Conference Proceedings: Constructing New Worlds, May 31-June 4, 1998. pp. 93-96. Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
“Project Renosa Mexico: A Response to the Global Housing Crisis.” 1997 AIA Conference Proceeding. Environmental and Economic Balance: The 21st Century Outlook. November 6-November 9, 1997. pp. 383-387. American Institute of Architects, U.S. Green Building Council and U.S. Department of Energy.
Art Exhibits (selected)
Old South Baton Rouge – A Decade of Work. (AIA Baton Rouge Invitational), Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA. October 24 – December 16th, 2016Passages: Art by Architects. Curator: Julia Greenway. Seattle, Washington. July – August 2015.Reflecting and Projecting; 20 years of Design Excellence. UNLV Marjorie Barrack Museum. December 2014 – February 2015.
LSU Art Gallery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Art Collectors’ Exhibit. March – April 2012
Re Gallery and Studio, Dallas Texas. Invitational Reshow, November 2011.
Solo Exhibit, UNLV Artimus Ham Hall. Las Vegas, Nevada. Larger than Life. December 2010.
Invitational. Big Springs Gallery Springs Preserve, Desert Chromaticity. Las Vegas, Nevada. June 2010.
Invitational. Schloss Mittersill. A Thin Space : Conditions for Creativity. Mittersill, Austria. June 2007.
Solo Exhibit. Judson University Fine Art Gallery. Elgin, Illinois. Testimony. February 3-February 28, 2004.
San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, California. 46th International Awards Exhibition. Juror: Hugh Davies, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. May, 2003. (60 pieces selected from 1800 entries.)
Invitational. Murphy J. Foster Gallery, Louisiana State University. 1st Annual Summer Invitational Exhibition. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. August 2002.
Solo Exhibit. Paul Delouvrier Gallery, Unframed: Excerps from a Visual Journal. Le FIAP Jean Monnet, Paris, France. June, 2001
Louisiana State University Union Gallery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 2001 Works on Paper: Recent Drawings, Prints and Photographs. Juror: David Kiehl, Curator of prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. May 2001. (60 works chosen from 923 entries.)
Solo Exhibit at Cole Pratt Gallery, entitled Visual Journal: Recent Work, New Orleans, La., June 2000.
Solo Exhibit. Kent State University School of Architecture. Kent, Ohio. 111 Selections from a Visual Journal exhibit. October 1999.
The 26th Annual Juried Competition. March 1999, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, La. Juror: John Bullard, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art. (74 works from 848 entries)
Montana State University. February 1999. Fine Art Exhibit entitled Paper Trail.
18th Annual Faber Birren National Color Award Show. October, 1998, Stamford Art Association, Stamford, Connecticut. Juror: Ms. Jane Aldin, 20th Century Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. (55 pieces selected from 977 entries)
Forty-First Annual Delta Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture. September, 1998, The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Ark. Juror: Peter Frank, editor of Visions art quarterly and art critic for L.A. Weekly.
Solo Exhibit entitled Paper Trail, September, 1998, West Valley Museum of Art, Sun City, Ariz.
Sacred Arts XVII, February 1998, Billy Graham Center Museum, Wheaton, Ill. Jurors: Gregory S. Anthnos, North Park College and George P. Schneider, former associate director of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Solo Exhibit entitled 111 Selected Entries from a Visual Journal, February 1998, The Gallery at Stevenson Union, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Ore.
Solo Exhibit entitled Paper Trail, February, 1998, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mon.
Twenty-second Annual Juried Fine Arts Competition, October, 1997, Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, New York. Jurors: Beth Handler, curator, Museum of Modern Art, NYC, and Phyllis Braff, art critic, The New York Times.
Art-ernatives: A Visual Arts Forum 2nd Annual National Juried Exhibition, October 1997, Art-ernatives Gallery, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Juror: Peter Frank, art critic for The Village Voice, SoHo Weekly News, L.A. Weekly.
19th Annual Paper in Particular National Exhibition, February 1997, Columbia College, Columbia, Mo. Juror: Nancy B. Bradly. (96 works selected from 574 entries).
Smithtown Township Arts Council: Twenty-First Annual Juried Fine Arts Competition and Exhibit, October, 1996, Twenty-first Annual Juried Fine Arts Competition, October, 1997. Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, New York. Jurors: Fiona Ragheb, curator of the Guggenheim Museum, NYC, and Helen Harrison, art critic for The New York Times.
15th Annual September Competition: National Juried Competition and Exhibition, August, 1996, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, La. Juror: Eleanor Heartney, art critic, New York City.
The Parrish Art Museum 35th Juried Exhibition: National Juried Competition and Exhibition, September, 1996. The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York. Jurors: Lisa Phillips, curator of Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
West Coast Works on/of Paper: National Juried Competition and Exhibit, June, 1996, The Ink People Center for the Arts, Eureka, Calif. Juror: Peter Frank.
Solo Exhibit. Working at Play: Prelude to a Testimony, May, 1991, T.M. Sundt Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.