David A. Baird: A Latter-day Saint Artist of the Restoration's Sacred Relics

David A. Baird (1979– ) is a Latter-day Saint artist and sculptor who has used his craft to build faith in the Restoration. He created the replica gold plates used in the Interpreter Foundation's 'Witnesses' film about the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, contributed to 'The Annotated Book of Mormon,' and produced artwork for the Church History Museum's 'Relics of the Restoration' media exhibit. By rendering, in metal and mixed media, the sacred objects of the Restoration—the plates, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim—Brother Baird has helped a new generation visualize and take seriously the physical reality of what the Lord brought forth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. His art is a quiet, faithful witness that the artifacts of the Restoration are real things, witnessed by real people.