--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, Edward H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 15 number: 4 published: 1912-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Anderson, Edward H., "A Young Sculptor," *Improvement Era* 15, no. 4 (February 1912): 367–368.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1504unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1504unse start_page: 367 end_page: 368 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1912-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1504unse publication_year: 1912 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1912, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Young Sculptor A Young Sculptor In nearly every New York newspaper recently, also in Harper's Weekly, The Youth's Companion, and other eastern publications, there have been long and flattering notices of the art work of Avard Fairbanks, a Utah boy, son of J. 1!. Fairbanks and Lillie A. Huish Fairbanks, born February 26, 1897, in Provo. H I mother died when the boy was only a year and two months old. He is the youngest of eight boys in the family, all of whom were taken care of by their only sister, who was less than twenty years of age when the mother died. The father of Avard, and also his oldest brother, J. Leo Fairbanks, are artists, the latter also being a sculptor. The buffalo herewith was moulded by Avard and dedicated to the public schools of the United States. Avard has always taken some interest in watching his brother and father work. About the only talent he manifested was his willingness to try. In the public schools of Salt Lake City he seemed to take a pride in the fact that his brother was art supervisor, which appeared to inspire him with a desire to do better than the other children. In the fifth and sixth grades he did some very clever modeling. When only twelve years of age he took great delight in visiting his brother's studio and watching a young school boy, John Snyder, draw and paint. The vacation mornings were spent in this way for avard Fairbanks Avard morning said: "I believe can nearly a week, when one 1 draw as well as that boy. Will you let me try?" Of course, the with his efopportunity was given him, but he was disappointed "Well. can and said, as a kind of consolation to himself: I fort, beat him modeling." of mud Next morning John saw Avard with a large piece proved to be a splendid model, but it working from a rabbit. It the casting, because the older brother wanted the was spoiled in boy to gain the experience of casting. He cried over the figure, 368 IMPROVEMENT ERA but determined to make a larger and better one, which was nearly life size. was exhibited at the state fair in 1909. It While the two boys were working at their separate tasks, the elder brother was modeling a mountain lion from a drawing which he had made in the New York Bronx Park the preceding Buffalo —by Avard Fairbanks. summer. During the remainder of the year Avard was much occupied with play and his school work, but managed to make a few figures and a little relief portrait of his father. The father went to New York in February, and in June Avard was taken to his many father for company, and partly to relieve his sister of her duties. The thought of an effort to educate him in art did not enter the transaction. He was anxious to complete the eighth grade, but thought he might do it in New York the following winter. In New York he went to the Metropolitan Gallery because there was nothing else for him to do. To occupy his time, the secretary of the museum was asked to issue a permit that would allow the boy to copy some of the sculpture in clay. After much pleading, and promises to take the young artist from the gallery if he were not steady and serious, a permit was granted. There was always a crowd around the youth's modeling stand, and his work was so good that apologies were hardly enough to relieve the secretary of his embarrassment in having