Bill Henry
(b.1930) lives in Oak Ridge
Bluebird House on Stump
poplar, paint, 10.75 x 3.5 inches, 2002.47.2-3
For over 50 years, self-identified “itinerant whittler,” folk craftsman Henry has mastered over 200 forms and carved an estimated 20,000 pieces. Henry’s work is in private and public collections, including the Museum of Appalachia and the Smithsonian. His wood carvings include miniature tools, birdhouses, and more of what he describes as “Miniature Americana.” He demonstrated whittling at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1976 and again in 1983. He has won numerous awards and honors, including The Southern Arts Craft Guild’s Heritage Preservation Award in 2012 and Tennessee Folklife Heritage Governor’s Arts Award in 2015.
Ax in Poplar Stump with Bird
poplar, paint, 8.75 x 7.25 x 2.75 inches, 2002.47.4
Additional works by Bill Henry:
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- Tool Bench with Hammer and Tools, wood, 2002.47.7
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- Tool Bench with Hammer and Tools, wood, 2002.47.7
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- Cone Anvil and Ring, wood, 2002.47.9
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- Anvil on Oak Block with Tools, wood, 2002.47.8
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- Poplat Stump with Birds on Sledgehammer and Wedge, wood, 2002.47.6
