Woodcarving: angels

These undated angel ornaments in low relief are rare examples of work made by Murrial (Murray) Galt Martin (1902-2005) who taught carving at the John C. Campbell Folk School from 1935 until 1973. Carved from holly and flat on the back, the angels range from 2" to 6" in height. A young Murrial Galt was working as an occupational therapist at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC when she was recruited to come to the folk school to teach. She met and married Dub Martin, a local man, and remained at the folk school for the rest of her life. She died in 2005 at the age of 102. During her tenure at the folk school, Martin drew designs on blocks of wood that the school got free from the Tennessee Valley Authority as they cleared land for rural electrification. 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