{"id":17615,"date":"2012-02-10T20:33:02","date_gmt":"2012-02-11T01:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=17615"},"modified":"2012-02-10T22:09:59","modified_gmt":"2012-02-11T03:09:59","slug":"chuck-baird-noted-artist-and-ritntid-alumnus-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/02\/10\/chuck-baird-noted-artist-and-ritntid-alumnus-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Baird, Noted Artist and RIT\/NTID Alumnus, Dies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"chuck<\/a>Chuck Baird, Noted Artist and RIT\/NTID Alumnus, Dies<\/strong><\/p>\n

FEBRUARY 10, 2012<\/p>\n

Chuck Baird, a famed artist who helped establish De\u2019VIA, a type of\u00a0painting depicting the life of a deaf individual in a hearing world,\u00a0died this morning in Austin, Texas, after a four-year battle with\u00a0cancer. He was 64.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RIT\/NTID community mourns the passing of one of our most gifted
\nalumni,\u201d said NTID President Gerry Buckley, who first met Mr. Baird as\u00a0an admired upper class student in the early 1970s. \u201cDuring our careers,\u00a0we frequently ended up at many of the same conferences and gatherings\u00a0where he was a well-respected and admired professional in his field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born deaf in Kansas City, Mo., Mr. Baird graduated from the Kansas\u00a0School for the Deaf in 1967 and attended Gallaudet University for two\u00a0years. He then attended Rochester Institute of Technology\u2019s National\u00a0Technical Institute for the Deaf and received his bachelor\u2019s degree in\u00a0Studio Painting in 1974.<\/p>\n

While at RIT, he played four games as a defensive lineman on the\u00a0football team under coach Tom Coughlin, who now coaches the two-time\u00a0Super Bowl champion New York Giants. He left the team because he said\u00a0he preferred to take art classes rather than go to football practice.<\/p>\n

He also was involved with the NTID Drama Club, where he said, \u201cI got my\u00a0first theatre bug.\u201d He acted in several productions, designed and\u00a0painted sets and won the NTID Best Actor Award in 1974.<\/p>\n

According to his biography, he spent five years working at the National\u00a0Theatre of the Deaf painting their sets. He continued developing his\u00a0art with jobs in New York and Delaware before joining Spectrum, a\u00a0colony of deaf artists in Texas.<\/p>\n

He joined the National Theatre of the Deaf in 1980 as an actor and set\u00a0designer for 10 years before living nomadically in California and\u00a0Arizona, and operated painting studios in Kansas City and Tucson. He\u00a0often traveled to paint murals, lead art workshops for deaf children,\u00a0summer camps and art festivals.<\/p>\n

Many of his paintings are in NTID\u2019s permanent collection of artwork.\u00a0His work has been featured as a solo artist in galleries and art shows\u00a0throughout the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a giant of an artist and a wonderful man,\u201d said Robert Baker,\u00a0director of NTID\u2019s Dyer Arts Center, where many of Mr. Baird\u2019s works\u00a0have been exhibited. \u201cHe will be sorely missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Baird\u2019s works were known for the genre called Deaf View Image Arts\u00a0(De\u2019VIA), created by a group of eight artists under Better Miller and\u00a0Paul Johnston. \u201cThe disenfranchised genre was based on our deaf\u00a0experiences that reflected in our artworks that came from our being\u00a0deaf,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis work is so powerful,\u201d said Samuel Holcomb, a friend who knew Mr.\u00a0Baird for decades.<\/p>\n

While Mr. Baird never married, he said he was married to his paint\u00a0brushes, and all of his artworks were his children.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis talented hands, keen eyes, playful mind and generous heart will be\u00a0remembered and missed by all who knew him,\u201d said Patti Durr, an artist\u00a0and faculty member at NTID.<\/p>\n

“Chuck spent his life sharing his talent and love for the Deaf-world\u00a0via his art. He constantly sought to create spaces where new De\u2019VIA\u00a0artists could be fostered, shared, valued and discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a blog to his friends last month updating his condition, Mr. Baird\u00a0said his cancer had spread from his kidney to his lungs and\u00a0vertebrates. \u201cAlthough the news seems bad, I am calm,\u201d he said. \u201cI am\u00a0in God\u2019s hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is utterly painful to think that no more visual works will be\u00a0coming from his fingertips, but I think the thing I will miss most is\u00a0that mischievous twinkle that often graced his Deaf eyes and the unique\u00a0way in which he saw the world,\u201d Durr said.<\/p>\n

Buckley, who corresponded with Mr. Baird during his illness, said he\u00a0was \u201ccontinually impressed with his positive spirit during his battle.\u00a0Most recently, all of us were touched by comments that Chuck made as he\u00a0prepared for the end of his journey thanking us for our prayers and\u00a0support. Even as he prepared for the end of his earthly life, Chuck was\u00a0reaching out via video to assure us all that he was at peace and\u00a0prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandra Kelly, executive director of the Deaf Cultural Center in Olathe,\u00a0Kan., has known Mr. Baird for many years. Mr. Baird established a\u00a0foundation for emerging deaf artists under the umbrella of the center.\u00a0In a hallway of the center is a photograph of Mr. Baird; beneath it is\u00a0a quote from him: \u201cMix together. Learn together. Love together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat embodies what his work was all about, to love each other no\u00a0matter what,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cChuck just brought so much to life for both\u00a0the deaf and the hearing communities. And he continues to touch the\u00a0lives of so many people through his art.\u201d<\/p>\n

A memorial service is planned Sunday in Austin.<\/p>\n

Story Highlights:<\/p>\n

* Chuck Baird was born deaf in Kansas City, Mo. in 1967. He died less\u00a0than two weeks from his 65th birthday.
\n* He graduated from RIT\/NTID with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in\u00a01974.
\n* He is credited with being one of the founding artists of the De’VIA\u00a0genre of painting.
\n* He acted and designed sets for years with the National Theatre of the\u00a0Deaf.<\/p>\n

Source from RIT\/NTID:
\nhttp:\/\/www.ntid.rit.edu\/news\/chuck-baird-noted-artist-and-ritntid-alumnus-dies<\/a><\/p>\n

Chuck Baird’s Youtube Channel:
\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/chuckbairdvideos<\/a><\/p>\n

Chuck Baird’s website
\nhttp:\/\/www.chuckbairdart.com\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n

DeafArt.org – Chuck Baird’s Bio
\n http:\/\/www.deafart.org\/Biographies\/Chuck_Baird\/chuck_baird.html<\/a><\/p>\n

DeafNation: Joel Barish interview with Chuck Baird
\n http:\/\/deafnation.com\/joelbarish\/people\/chuck-baird-deaf-artist\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Gallaudet University – Article about Chuck Baird shares his vision of\u00a0deaf art and culture
\nhttp:\/\/www.gallaudet.edu\/clerc_center\/chuck_baird_shares_his_vision_of_deaf_art_and_culture.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chuck Baird, Noted Artist and RIT\/NTID Alumnus, Dies FEBRUARY 10, 2012 Chuck Baird, a famed artist who helped establish De\u2019VIA, a type of\u00a0painting depicting the life of a deaf individual in a hearing world,\u00a0died this morning in Austin, Texas, after…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[12496,314,9205,21,12510,1144,312,35,12505,12501,11938,831,898,57,5536,12508,12507,1519,12498,12502,416,12499,12506,12504,12495,1660,12503,12509,17,12500,12497],"class_list":["post-17615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-art-works","tag-artist","tag-artwork","tag-austin","tag-bachelors-degree-in-fine-arts","tag-cancer","tag-chuck-baird","tag-community","tag-deaf-cultural-center","tag-devia","tag-dyer-arts-center","tag-football","tag-gallaudet-university","tag-kansas","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-school-for-the-deaf","tag-ksd","tag-national-technical-institute-for-the-deaf","tag-national-theatre-of-the-deaf","tag-new-york-giants","tag-ntid","tag-ntid-drama-club","tag-olathe","tag-patti-durr","tag-robert-baker","tag-rochester-institute-of-technology","tag-samuel-holcomb","tag-sandra-kelly","tag-texas","tag-tom-coughlin","tag-tucson"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-4A7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17621,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/02\/10\/noted-deaf-artist-and-actor-chuck-baird-passes-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":17615,"position":0},"title":"Noted Deaf Artist and Actor Chuck Baird Passes Away","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Official Press Release February 10, 2012 Media Contact: David H. Pierce david@davideo.tv NOTED DEAF ARTIST AND ACTOR CHUCK BAIRD PASSES AWAY Chuck Baird, who was born on February 22, 1947, attended Kansas School for the Deaf, Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University), and Rochester Institute of Technology. Upon completing his education,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chuck Baird ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/chuckbaird_resize.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23200,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/05\/27\/dccf-deaf-art-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":17615,"position":1},"title":"DCCF Deaf Art Festival – De’VIA Gala In Memory of Chuck Baird","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"DCCF Deaf Art Festival - De'VIA Gala In Memory of Chuck Baird Deaf Cultural Center Deaf Cultural Center Foundation 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization 455 E. 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