Elzy J. Bird photograph collection, 1940s

Elzy J. "Bill" Bird (1911-2001) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 3 April 1911 but spent much of his early life on his family's farm in East Layton, Utah, and on cattle ranches in Swan Valley, Idaho. A detailed account of his childhood has been written and illustrated with Bird's own sketches in his book The Old Farm. When he and his family moved back to Salt Lake City, he attended West High where he studied art under Cornelius Salisbury. He later studied under James T. Harwood, with whom he learned etching, and under Jack Sears at the University of Utah. He worked with both professors on major projects. Bird began studying at the Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles in 1933 under Don Graham, working for Graham and Phil Dike at the Walt Disney Studios. His watercolors have been exhibited in one-man shows at the Denver Art Museum and Santa Barbara Museum, as well as in large exhibitions such as the 1939 New York World's Fair. His work can be seen in such collections as the Utah Arts Council, the Springville Museum of Art, many Utah schools, public buildings, and private collections. During the 1930s, Bird served as a member of the board of directors for the Utah State Institute of Fine Arts, and in the 1950s, he was on the board of directors of the Art Barn, now known as the Salt Lake Art Center. He took over from Judy Farnsworth Lund as dirctor of Utah's WPA Federal Arts Project on 1 August 1937 and served until January 1942 when he left to serve in the Armed Forces. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was present during the invasion of Okinawa. Bird has written and illustrated several children's books, including How Do Bears Sleep? (1990). Bird died 7 May 2001 in Salt Lake City.