This sculpture of John the Baptist, with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, depicting the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, stands in the Fairview Museum of History and Art, in Fairview, Utah. It is a replica of the statue that stands in Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. The sign at the statue reads:
RESTORATION OF THE
AARONIC PRIESTHOOD
1957
Sculptor: Avard T. Fairbanks (1897-1987)
This work depicts an important event in
Mormon belief, the restoration of the
Priesthood of Aaron by John the Baptist to
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
"Nearly six years before Oliver Cowdery began serving as Joseph Smith’s scribe, the young Prophet Joseph received divine instruction from the angel Moroni relative to the restoration of priesthood authority. On 22 September 1823 Moroni taught Joseph that “when they [the gold plates] are interpreted the Lord will give the holy priesthood to some, and they shall begin to proclaim this gospel and baptize by water, and after that they shall have power to give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of their hands.”
The first step toward fulfillment of that promise took place on 15 May 1829 while Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were in the process of bringing forth the Book of Mormon. The Prophet recalled:
“We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. …
“He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us … that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me.
“Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me—after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood—for so we were commanded.
'The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us'." (
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"Dr. Avard Tennyson Fairbanks
Born: March 2, 1897 - Died: January 1, 1987
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks was born in Provo Utah in 1897. The son of John B. Fairbanks a well known artist, Avard will continue the family legacy as a prolific sculptor. With the death of his mother Lilly when he was only about a year old, and his father busy providing for his family Avard’s brother J. Leo Fairbanks will manage the family.
At the age of 12, Avard showed interest in sculpting. With the guidance of J. Leo, Avard’s first work was a clay model of a rabbit. This model would win first prize in the State Fair. At the age of 13, Avard would follow his father to New York City. Modeling animals from the Bronx Zoological Gardens and showing a natural talent for sculpting, Avard would be awarded scholarships to study at the Arts Students League at New York. During this time Avard would become personally acquainted with several notable sculptors. These included Cyrus E. Dallin (sculptor of the Winfield Scott Hancock on the Pennsylvania Memorial) and Lorado Taft (sculptor of the 3rd, 4th Michigan Infantry Monuments and the Michigan “Custer” Memorial). In 1913 Avard would move to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. While in Paris he would also study at the Ecole de la Grande Chaumiere and other noted schools.
Today, Fairbanks is considered one of the most distinguished sculptors in America. His statues have been erected around the world. Throughout the United States, Fairbanks is particularly well known for his Lincoln monuments. Four of his works are on permanent display in the U.S. Capitol Building’s statuary hall as well as four marble busts of Lincoln located in Ford Theater, Washington DC." (
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"The Fairview Museum of History and Art has a fascinating selection of items, documents and artifacts from the greater Fairview area. Boasting magnificent sculptures by renowned artist Dr. Avard T. Fairbanks the museum is sure to impress any visitor. The crown jewel of the museum is perhaps the life-size cast replica of a Columbian Mammoth skeleton unearthed in 1988, only 18 miles east of Fairview at Huntington Reservoir." (
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"An outstanding regional cultural center which showcases regional history, art and a world-class collection of Arvard T. Fairbanks's works of art. The museum features sculptures, a replica of the Huntington Mammoth, carvings, and artwork. Two buildings of exhibits will keep visitors engaged for hours." (
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"The museum is full of historical data, artifacts pictures and artwork. Part of the museum is the Natural History Building which houses a full scale replica of a nearly fully intact Columbian mammoth. The mammoth was unearthed on the nearby Wasatch Plateau in 1988 while excavating the Huntington Reservoir.
The work of one of Utah’s most famous artists, Avard T. Fairbanks, is also on display at the Fairview Museum." (
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The museum houses historical artifacts, art ( a wide variety of sculptures and paintings); provides humanities lectures, school tours, local historic archive, oral history collection, and family history collection. In the central atrium is a New Columbian Mammoth skeleton, while upstairs is an extensive Avard Fairbank sculpture collection.