Carving Traditions

This year’s folk craft area features the work of 15 traditional artists who spend their days carving. They work in a variety of media (wood, stone, clay and plaster) and draw from a number of traditions. You will see religious figures to aid worship, ornamental elements to enhance architectural trim (and hide joints), whimsical carvings revealing dazzling skill, and figurative carving depicting wildlife and more.

The majority of these carvers work with hand tools – gouges, chisels, knives, and rasps.  Some, however, like Bob Fuller, use electric-powered tools to create the spokes of his hand-turned ship’s wheels using a lathe. Consider the work that goes into creating a memorial stone. While most grave markers today are manufactured with sandblasting tools, a few artisans still practice the ancient art of hand chiseling v-cuts into the stone.

As you meander throughout the craft area, pay attention to how individual carvers hold their tools and approach their work. See if you can discern the place of origin for each of these carving traditions; represented are techniques and styles originating in Italy, Greece, Japan, French Canada, Puerto Rico, England, China and Cambodia. Ask questions. What role does design and drawing play in the process of producing carved art? Where do they get their materials and how do they maintain their tools? How are they able to sustain their craft in today’s globalized, mass-produced marketplace?

Fried Dough Bread may be the staff of life, but fried dough is its treat. Fried dough is often associated with midways at summer fairs and carnivals, where it's made in vats of hot oil. But this seemingly generic food has roots in many cultures, some originating in North America and others brought from around the world. These treats are also made in home kitchens and for special occasions, part of the foodways of cooks with African-American, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese roots as demonstrated here.   Fried breads are made with yeast dough, which is shaped and transformed by frying.  Frequently the small, often bite-sized confection is finished off by being rolled in sweet toppings such as honey, sugar, cinnamon, or the sweeteners are sprinkled on top. There's no such thing as leftovers when fried dough is being served! Schedule for Saturday & Sunday TBA

Updated 05/17/2013 2:50 PM