Minister reports
Wood carving is alive, well
Although wood carving may',.
be a dying art farm in America because tbe method is
necessarily alow, a 76-year-
old black "traveling evangelist" from Milwaukee, Wla.
doesn't aeem to mind tbe
labor Involved. In fact, tbe
Rev. Joaepbus Farmer readily admits that be loves his
work and that his creative
ability "Is a gift from Cod."
Rev. Farmer recently donated one and sold two wood
carvings to the SIU Museum.
Museum Director Basil He-
cbick said he was pleased
to hi*e received Farmer's
carvings for tbe SIU museum's collection because the
art of wwdcarving is virtually
dead, r
An apostolic minister. Rev.
Farmer drove down from Milwaukee to Carbondale to conduct a tsat revival. "I de-
elded IP bring some of my
work to tbe University to
find out if anyone would be
interested," be said.
Rev. Former's wood carving career began more than SO
years ago in Gibson County,
Term., his birthplace. "My
parents were poor and were
not able to give me toys,"
Rev. Farmer recalled. "One
day—I "»as about seven years
old—a man came to our house
with a toy duck. Since my
family couldn't buy roe one, I
decided to do tbe next best
thing," he said. "I found a
pocket knife and began to
carve out an Imitation of tbe
duck 1 had seen. Since then I
have been carving wood."
Rev. Parmer, whose wood
carvings have been exhibited
in the Milwaukee Art Museum,
rarely uses any pattern on
his carved scenes.
Daily Egyptian Diversity News Archive (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)
Daily Egyptian Diversity News Archive (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)
