African-American Artisans
These seven artists are considered to be the best in their respective crafts. Their work can be found everywhere from the White House to your neighbor's home. They reveal their sources of inspiration as well as the methods to their artistic magic. Sculptor
Sculptor Charles Dickson carves a ceremonial stool out of a large tree stump. He calls it "the stool of knowledge" because he believes it emobodies the wisdom of his ancestors. He cuts the seat area out with a large power drill and a traditional hand tool called an African adze. The finished stool is embellished with precious materials, including cowry shells, ebony and amber. Despite Dickson's severe asthma, which causes him to be extremely allergic to the wood with which he works, his passion is clear in the pieces he turns out. His goal is to "re-create artifacts that we have either lost as a culture or elements that we have found as a culture." Furniture Maker
Furniture maker Hermon Futrell hiked into the mountains near Estes Park, Colorado, to cut willow branches for this rustic staircase railing. Seated at a bench called a draw horse, he peels the willow branches with a blade called a draw knife to assemble sections of the railing. He uses peeled lodgepole for the uprights and beechwood for the railings. He is a master at weaving the natural bends and curves of the branches into one-of-a-kind chairs and other furnishings. A fellow artist introduced him to this rustic craft more than 20 years ago. He's been hooked on it ever since. Basket Maker
Basket maker Henrietta Snype coils a bread basket out of materials such as sweet grass, palmetto leaves and pine needles that grow wild in her family's hometown of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (just outside of Charleston). These types of baskets have been made by African-Americans living in and near Charleston for more than three centuries. It's considered by many to be the oldest African art form still practiced in America. Snype learned this coiling technique from her mother and grandmother, who learned from their mothers and grandmothers. The tradition dates back to the first slaves to arrive in South Carolina. Snype's ancestors refused to let this important part of their heritage die, and she continues this thought by teaching her granddaughter the art of coiling. Woodturner
Artist Frank E. Cummings III turns blocks of wood on a lathe, then uses chisels and a jeweler's saw to cut in his signature lace work that forms the top of the piece. It is the crowning touch to this "fantasy vessel," the name he uses to describe his most cherished pieces. They are created with a mix of exotic woods, precious gems and solid gold. Cummings is a master of many mediums--his work spans everything from furniture to a working clock he carved out of ebony and ivory. Although pieces of his collection are housed in both the White House and the Smithsonian, he feels the personal connection made with those who view his work is most important. Ceramist
Ceramist David MacDonald transforms mounds of clay into works of art that have been displayed in museums and galleries all over the country. Working at a potter's wheel, he uses his hands to shape the clay, then uses a notch-wooden-stick tool that he designed to carve elaborate, geometric designs into the clay. He accents the pieces with a dark glaze as a finishing touch. MacDonald discovered his passion for ceramics as an art student in college, and nearly 40 years later, he is still amazed at what he can create from a simple lump of clay. He gleans his ideas from ancient African designs: "I was inspired by it because they made pottery that had a lot of surface decorations, a lot of linear patterns and carvings on it." Graphics Artist
Artist Espi Frazier carves and paints a wooden room screen. Her original design reflects her love of fashion illustration. She begins by drawing out a design. Once she is happy with it, she traces it onto the wooden panels. She carves the design into the wood with hand chisels and rotary power tools, then stains it with colorful washes of India ink. The final touches are done with a quill that draws intricate lines and dots. She combines her talents as an illustrator and carver to create these colorful wooden doors and room screens for use in the home. Frazier calls her craft "wood graphics," borrowing her bold style from both art deco and African styles. Her work is done in the tradition of her woodcarving forefathers. Blacksmith
Blacksmith Bill Johnson hammers and coils metal into a graceful handle table. He first begins with sketches on a chalkboard. When he is satisfied with the design, he begins the physical labor. He heats his gas forge, then puts the steel bars in until they are yellow hot. He hammers out each scroll by hand, creates the arch for the base of the table and assembles the parts with a welding torch. He started his career in 1989 as an interior decorator and quickly began creating his own furniture. That ultimately led him to the fire of the forge and a personal bond with history. "In Africa, the blacksmith is looked upon as the keeper of the fire, keeper of life and death, because of the ability it extract metals from the earth and the ability to control fire. That's definitely an inpiration for me to know that it traditionally came out of people that I'm reared from."
Guests
Espi Frazier
Graphics Artist
1115 Hunter St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-539-7325
Frank E. Cummings
Woodturner
3160 Armourdale Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90808
Phone: 562-598-0744
Charles Dickson
Sculptor
423 E. Rosencrans Ave.
Compton, CA 90221-2037
Phone: 323-979-0097
Hermon Futrell
Furniture Maker, Futrell Design Studios
3221 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80206
Phone: 303-316-8033
Bill Johnson
Blacksmith
4627 9th St. NW
Washington, DC 20011
Phone: 202-829-1059
Henrietta Snype
Basket Maker
1727 Highway 17 N.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843-884-6978
David R. MacDonald
Ceramist
113 Claire Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13214
Phone: 315-446-7907
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