Woodcarving: man on stump

Carved from holly and date unknown, this highly detailed figure is the work of Nolan Beaver (1916-1998). Beaver learned to carve as a child growing up in the Martin's Creek community of Cherokee County. He recalled, "I wanted toys, so I made them." He studied at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the 1930s with carving teacher Murrial Martin. Later, an industrial pattern maker and cabinetmaker, Beaver continued to carve throughout his life, developing a personal style of graceful figures with fine detail. In 1942 he earned over $300 from carving, a substantial sum in those days. The Brasstown Carvers can trace their beginnings to 1929 when a local craft guild was organized in cooperation with the John C. Campbell Folk School. By the mid 1930s, craft production at the school focused on carving and, by the 1950s, the group became known as the Brasstown Carvers. Today's Brasstown Carvers, some of them second and third generation makers from the same families as the original carvers, continue to produce work for the school's sales shop