- The Brasstown carvers are a pretty essential part of the history here, especially the craft history.

- Look at the hedgehog.

- I like the turkey.

- I realized that I had found what I wanted to be when I grew up.

And that sounds crazy because I'm 55, but it gave me what I want to do in my retirement.

So right now I have forgotten about everything else in the world except for this goose.

- A lot of people say you just take away everything that you don't want and what's in there will be what comes out.

I've got one here that's the first one I ever made.

That's kind of what it's all about, it's what you see in it.

- Here's a skill that people can learn, it's a creative skill, and the items that they make can go out and be sold and provide an income.

- Did you see the detail in it?

The detail is incredible.

- It's in you.

You see, you know what to bring out of it.

- There you go.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- People don't realize when they go to buy a carving, what it entails to make that one carving.

I pull the wood out of my shed down here.

Mostly now we use basswood because it's easier on the hands and we've got patterns to where you can start carving.

And I'll cut them out on a band saw.

So it's always turning and reassessing.

That way it keeps you symmetrical and even and you don't get lopsided or something like that.

- And then once you actually make the animal, you'll sand it probably five or six different grades, you know, to make it real smooth.

And you've got probably 10 or 12 hours in it.

So you just really don't understand what it's like unless you've done it.

I'm Richard Carter.

I'm one of the Brasstown carvers.

- My name is Angela Wynn.

I have been a Brasstown carver for about two and a half years now.

I moved to this area not knowing a soul.

I lucked out in finding the folk school.

I didn't even know about it.

Once I started seeing all the different classes, the history really took me, I think, first.

- The John C. Campbell Folk School was founded in 1925 by two women, Olive Dame Campbell and Marguerite Butler.

And they were both really interested and invested in working in Appalachia to better life here.

- So originally it was for young folks who were on the farm.

And the intent was for them to stay during the winter and give them something to do, to learn, and then eventually a way to make an income, which is where the carving kind of plays in.

- Not my living, but I do it because I can make some extra money, which is what it started out about to help people out.

- The story of the origin of the Brasstown carvers is that Olive Dame Campbell was passing by Fred O. Scroggs' store in Brasstown one day.

And there was a group of men there who would whittle on a bench that was outside.

- They saw a lot of men down here at a local store making some shavings, what we call whittling.

- She saw the potential in that as an economic support for the local people.

- I think she just basically wanted to enrich their lives to help the area grow because other than what they grew, they didn't have nothing.

- So she encouraged them to carve the different animals and the figures and start to sell them.

- Here's a really good one of Murray.

There's been a lot of patterns over the years done by Muriel Martin or Murray Martin.

She came in 1935 to be the craft director.

She worked at the folk school for almost 40 years and was really the lead for the Brasstown carvers during that time.

- They were carving napkin rings and geese, sheep, cows.

- Pig, swan, rabbit, squirrel.

- Dogs, horses, just any kind of animal that, you know, it's mainly the animals they knew.

- Yeah, here's a whole table full of carvings, which are really cool to see in the early photos.

- The Brasstown carvers were very popular in the 30s and 40s, especially with Appalachian crafts.

Tying in with the craft revival, there's just a lot of interest.

- It really shows like how prolifically people were carving.

- And people would wait years to be able to collect all of the different carvings as they came into stock.

- So they ended up expanding and they had a shop in New York.

Then they were invited to sell in D.C.

And I think that's where Eleanor Roosevelt bought a set of geese carvings and they ended up at one point gifting one to Queen Elizabeth.

So they made it far and wide.

- There's Richard early on.

These are a lot of the really key, well-known carvers from the previous generation, including Richard Carter, who bridges the gap.

So Richard Carter is really, I think, the linchpin at this point between connecting the older and the younger carvers.

- When I started in, they had had Jack Hall.

He was a carver that was teaching a daughter a class once a week.

And they'd meet here every Friday and show her work.

And if they liked it, they took it.

If they didn't, you had to fix it right in front of them.

- I started here in 2016.

When I came, the program was kind of struggling.

There were about probably four carvers at that point, which I think was the low point for the program.

- There just didn't seem to be as many people interested.

As a source of income, it's not as necessary anymore because there's a lot more job opportunities in the local area.

- And Richard would come into the craft shop at least three or four times a week.

And he'd bring some carvings.

But he'd also really talk about how we really needed to recruit new people.

- Richard is the glue that holds carvers together, I feel like.

So I got to study directly under him for a whole year.

We worked four hours a day together once a week.

- A lot of times, if we see something in somebody, we think they're going to be good.

We've got some small animals we call least ones.

And we'll set up where they can do five in a row to where they can see their progression.

- Yeah, nothing's perfect in nature.

We're not symmetrical.

So I do like to add a little bit of whimsy to my characters.

I like to add a little bit of whimsy and movement into my carvings.

- And I guess I had a knack for it that I didn't even realize.

But Richard told me within a couple of months that he thought I could be a Brasstown carver.

So I immediately jumped on that chance.

- Oh, I was so excited.

I was 20 years younger than the next carver.

So it was like I was starting a new chapter for them.

I even carry my carving kit to work and sit outside under an umbrella on my lunch break.

So, you know, I haven't looked back since.

It's a big responsibility, but a big honor.

- So the community night started around 2019 and has been slowly building.

- The folk school has always been about community.

That was one of their main goals was community.

And so now the community is kind of flowing back in.

- That's pretty.

That'll work.

That'd be nice.

- Richard gets here like two hours early and sets up all the tables and him and Carolyn Anderson both teach together.

And we'll have, you know, 40 people some nights.

They meet every single Thursday.

- So Carolyn and Rich says, why don't you get with us and let us give you a little bit of a lesson, let you start carving.

- If there's somebody that's never touched carving, never tried, I've got the stuff and the blocks and the stuff to spark their interest.

- I like the people.

Usually the Brasstown carvers take somebody and run them through what they need to get and sort of check in with them.

- Not only you've been talking about carving, we do that, of course.

Well, what are you working on?

Oh, look at this.

I did this.

I figured out how to do that.

I think I want to carve this next.

There's a lot of that, but also just community chit chat.

- Yeah, it's getting with the people, having somebody to talk to.

We help each other.

- We're so fortunate that we still have some of the long time carvers involved with the folk school.

One of them is Helen Gibson.

- I've been a Brasstown carver since I was about 11 years old.

I do the Mary and Joseph and Shepherd and the Wise Men.

- And this year she won the North Carolina Heritage Award, what is the highest state award for a folk and traditional artist.

- Do I go like that?

- Yeah, try going one direction.

- Yeah, first time.

- First time here.

- Yes, first time here, first time carving.

- It's really nice to see children, young adults, being interested in carving, even if they don't necessarily continue the tradition and really take that on.

They're at least being exposed to it and learning part of the skill.

- Really cozy and also really welcoming.

All the people are really nice here.

- I love it.

I would, yeah, I want to keep coming here, maybe become a Brasstown carver one day or something.

- So I think Olive Dame Campbell would really like to see that.

- Wonderful people here, a wonderful group of instructors and a good bunch of folks who come together to learn.

- So this year the folk school turns 100.

And our hope is that we can continue to find ways to meet the needs of our communities.

And so I am thrilled to see the Brasstown carving program growing and I hope that it can continue to grow.

- It's basically just about going around and around and carving in the round.

- It's an exciting time to see the Brasstown carvers because they've grown so much over just the last couple of years.

- Starting here like this, now kind of bring out the shoulder for this little bear will have a hump.

- And Richard's very excited to teach anyone who's interested and to continue that tradition.

I've really enjoyed working with you, Richard.

It's definitely made it much simpler for me to understand how to use a knife.

- I think there is a lot of interest in handmade things and things that have a story and tell a story.

- That's the first set up.

- That's good, yeah.

- To me being a Brasstown carver is really something special.

And you should have the want to, to do that.

- The future of the Brasstown carvers will maintain.

Now we've got 16 carvers and it's becoming more popular.

- When you come here, you feel welcome.

And I'm hoping it becomes a tradition.

- I've carved 50 something years and one day when I'm not able to cut the blocks out, keep the class going, I've got classmates and Brasstown carvers that can step in and take my place and keep it going on for the future.

- I hope so.

- Next thing I might have to carve will be a little acorn that he can be sitting there holding and playing with.

- That's my great hope is that people keep coming and keep it going.

- I won't turn back.

This is so peaceful and relaxing to me.

I'm a carver for life.

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