Edgar Tolson (1904–1984) was a woodcarver from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

who became a well-known

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

ist. He was born in Lee City,

Wolfe County, Kentucky Wolfe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,355. Its county seat is Campton. The county is named for Nathaniel Wolfe. History Wolfe County was formed on March 5, 1860, from porti ...

as the fourth of eleven children and educated through the sixth grade. He worked as a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

and

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, ...

and was married twice, fathering eighteen children in all. From his youth, woodcarving was always a hobby of his. Although Tolson began working in the tradition of the

Appalachian Appalachian may refer to: * Appalachian Mountains, a major mountain range in eastern United States and Canada * Appalachian Trail, a hiking trail in the eastern United States * The people of Appalachia and their culture ** Appalachian Americans, e ...

woodcarvers before him, after suffering a stroke in 1957, he became a full-time woodcarver and artist, and his subject matter grew increasingly idiosyncratic. Tolson first came to national attention through the Grassroots Craftsmen, an initiative of Lyndon Johnson's

War on Poverty The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a nationa ...

that helped Appalachian craftspeople to sell their works.

Ralph Rinzler Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was an American mandolin player, folksinger, and the co-founder of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall every summer in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a curator for American ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

was impressed by Tolson's figures, and included them in the 1971 Festival of American Folklife.

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's ...

professor Michael Hall also became Tolson's primary dealer at this time, and his work was included in the 1973

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...

. Tolson is best known for his "Fall of Man" cycle, a series of carvings portraying the story of Adam and Eve. He died in

Campton, Kentucky Campton is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census. History Campton was a camp town with a small creek, Swift Creek (named after Jonathan Swift of the leg ...

in 1984. The Edgar Tolson Folk Art Library at

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential e ...

is named after him.

References

External links

Tolson's entry on the Top 50 Works at the University of Kentucky Art Museum

Oral history interview with Edgar Tolson, 1981 July 30
Archives of American Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolson, Edgar American woodcarvers Folk artists Artists from Kentucky 1904 births 1984 deaths People from Wolfe County, Kentucky American stonemasons