Cherokee Heritage Trails

Amanda Crowe, a master woodcarver and master teacher, has inspired and taught generations of Cherokee woodcarvers. She has occasionally worked in stone and clay, but wood is her favorite medium. In her hands, blocks of wild cherry, buckeye, and black walnut take on the shapes of deer, owls, geese, raccoons, and - her signature pieces - bears. "Everybody in the country must have one of my bears," she says jokingly.

Amanda Crowe was drawing and carving by the age of four, and selling her carvings by the age of eight. She lost both parents when she was very young. When she reached high school age and could not get the art training she needed, her foster mother arranged for her to live with friends and attend high school in Chicago. There she earned a scholarship to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received a Bachelor's degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree. When she received the John Quincy Adams post-graduate fellowship to study in a foreign country, she chose Mexico and studied with Jose de Creeft at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel.

Her education put her in a unique position to help revitalize the carving tradition in Cherokee.

She had been away from home for twelve years when the Cherokee Historical Association invited her back to teach art and woodcarving at Cherokee High School. She accepted the position and, for almost 40 years, she was the carving teacher for over 2,000 Cherokee students. A number of her students are now successful artists and their work has brought new energy and artistry to what the tribal community and outsiders alike now see as a major tradition in Cherokee.

"I carve because I love to do it," she says. The North Carolina Folk Heritage Award is among the numerous honors and awards she has received for her work. She has exhibited carvings at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, the Atlanta Art Museum, Denver Museum of Art, and as far away as England and Germany. Her pieces are in many permanent collections including those at the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Department of Interior. She is quick to say, however, that the most satisfying reward she has received is knowing she has taught hundreds of Cherokee students to carry on the tradition of their ancestors.

Although she does not travel or present programs, Amanda Crowe continues to carve and sell her work. She welcomes visitors who wish to place orders for carvings. Contact her by mail for details and prices.