Nolan Beaver portrait

Nolan Beaver portrait

Artisans

Brasstown Carvers

Handicraft

John C. Campbell Folk School

Wood-carving -- Appalachian Region, Southern

Nolan Beaver (1916-1998) studied woodcarving at the John C. Campbell Folk School under Murray Martin in the mid-1930s. He carved from the 1930s through the 1970s and sold his work through the school's woodcarving cooperative, which came to be known at the Brasstown Carvers. Beaver inspired his mother, sisters, and brothers to take up the art of carving. Nolan works in various sizes, but is best known for his finely carved thumbnail miniatures that possess phenomenal detail. He works mostly in holly, walnut, and apple; his subject matter is vast and ranges from horse and rider, steers, tiny domestic and farm animals, to wildlife. His first carving was a squirrel on a base, and his first sale consisted of seven squirrels at 35 cents each; that bought him a pair of boot pants and a ticket to the movies. This photograph was taken from a booklet published by the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1990 titled "The Brasstown Carvers" with text by Bill Biggers, photographs by Werner Kahn and Bill Biggers

Kahn, Werner

John C. Campbell Folk School Records

Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

1980/1989

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

jpg;

photographs

StillImage

15306

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/15306

10-08-07

All rights reserved. For permissions and use, contact John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC 28902;

Clay County (N.C.)

Appalachian Region, Southern

7" x 5"(dimension)

Craft Revival