Ronald Arnott Baird is a Canadian artist. He is best known for his stainless-steel sculptures. He became a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

in 1978 and the 1971 recipient of the Allied Arts Award from the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

Career

Ron Baird was born in 1940 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. As an artist, he trained at the

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

. He first became known for his architectural sculptures. Baird largely uses the medium of

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

. Over his career, Ron Baird has received more than 300 commissions for public installations. Many of these pieces are found on boardwalks, harbours, and hospitals. In 1971 Baird erected the tallest steel sculpture in North America (at 33.5 metres) at the Atmospheric Environment Services site (

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

main headquarters) at 4905

Dufferin Street Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's northe ...

in Toronto. That year he received the Allied Arts Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 1978 he was named to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Baird's work ''

Spirit Catcher The ''Sculpture Bird'' (also called ''Dream Catcher, Spirit Catcher'') is a sculpture situated on the shore of Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It was originally created by sculptor Ron Baird for Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia ...

'' was created for the 1986 Expo in Vancouver an placed along

False Creek False Creek (french: Faux ruisseau) is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with ...

between the then Great Ramses II exhibit and McBarge in what is now George Wainborn Park(based on photo with view of

Granville Street Bridge The Granville Street Bridge or Granville Bridge is an eight-lane fixed cantilever/truss bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia, carrying Granville Street between Downtown Vancouver southwest and the Fairview neighborhood. It spans False Creek a ...

and

Burrard Bridge The Burrard Street Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Burrard Bridge) is a four-lane, Art Deco style, steel truss bridge constructed in 1930–1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The high, five part bridge on four piers spans Fal ...

in the background). The sculpture consists of 20-tonnes of Corten-steel, and conveys the theme of reconciliation with Indigenous people. It currently sits on the waterfront in

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

. In 2018, he began a statue for the waterfront of

Beaverton, Ontario Beaverton is a community in Brock Township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. History Beaverton was first settled in 1822. The settlement is located on Lake Simcoe at the mouth of the Beaver River. It was called Calder's M ...

, entitled ''Sky Woman''. Location of Sky Woman is pending on fate of Beaverton Harbour redevelopment. ''Spirit Catcher'' also has a sister sculpture named ''Sea Serpent'' on the Barrie waterfront at Heritage Park. The second sculpture was in a private collection in the Horseshoe Valley area and later Kingston, Ontario. In 2018, Baird was selected for the

La Biennale di Venezia The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, and his work was exhibited that year in the

Palazzo Bembo Palazzo Bembo is a palace in Venice, Italy, on the Grand Canal, close by the Rialto Bridge and next to the Palazzo Dolfin Manin. History It was built by the noble family of Bembo in the 15th century. Although it was remodeled several times o ...

on Venice's Grand Canal. Baird is now resident of Beaverton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Ron 1940 births Living people Artists from Toronto 21st-century Canadian sculptors 21st-century Canadian male artists 20th-century Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors 20th-century Canadian male artists OCAD University alumni Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts