Explore CollectionsFolk and Self-Taught ArtWood Sculpture

Wood Sculpture

Charles Butler (American, 1902–1978), Untitled (Mother with Children Sharing a Meal), 1960s, wood, gift of Gordon W. Bailey, 2016.21.

As a material available in many forms, from driftwood found in a creek to lumber scraps left over in carpentry workshops, wood is a fundamentally democratic medium. The wide range of artistic mastery it has inspired among self-taught artists such as Bessie Harvey and Sulton Rogers is beautifully evident in this collection, thanks to major gifts from T. Marshall Hahn, Gordon W. Bailey, and Anne and Robert Levine.

Katherine “Katie” Jentleson

Katherine Jentleson

Senior Curator of American Art and
Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art