Traditional Brasstown Carving: March 2025

Instructor: Helen Gibson

Day & Date: Wednesday, March 12, 19, 26, & April 2, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tuition: $175.00

Ages: Adult (18 and Up)

All levels are welcome. No experience required.

Students Please Bring:

• Note taking materials.
• Apron or work clothes you don’t mind getting shavings on.
• (Optional) A snack and/or water bottle. Filtered water is available in the classroom.

Explore the woodcarving traditions of The Brasstown Carvers. Carve animals, ornaments, or walking sticks while you practice knife work to better grasp the intricacies of forms, tools, and techniques. Along with technical instruction in three-dimensional and relief carving, Helen will share her experiences growing up and developing as an artist within the carving community, sharing a unique oral history that explores the aesthetic and background of this tradition.

*This is a multi-session workshop that amounts to a 12 hours of workshop time.*

An additional fee for materials provided by your instructor for this workshop is estimated at $20.00 THIS FEE IS PAYABLE TO THE INSTRUCTOR at the time of the workshop. Material fees may change depending on the number of participants and price of materials at the workshop. *Payment by cash or check is required for materials fees. 

* Workshops are subject to low enrollment cancellation if the minimum number of 4 students is not reached. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to call Olive’s Porch for up-to-date enrollment information.

About the instructor: Helen, the Folk School's Resident Woodcarver since 1990, is a Brasstown Carver in the famed local tradition. She studied with Jack Hall and is one of the few instructors who still carves and teaches the Brasstown Nativity figures she illustrates in her books, "Carving the Nativity" and "The Animals of the Nativity." These, along with her books on carving Moses and St. Francis of Assisi, depict her highly detailed style of carving in the round. Helen teaches workshops throughout the Southeast.