Cherokee Wood Sculptor Amanda Crowe
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Original caption states: "Visitors to the Craftsmen's Fair at the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina, watch well-known Cherokee wood sculptor Amanda Crowe and her students demonstrate their art."
Established by an act of Congress in 1935, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) was tasked with improving economic conditions among federally recognized tribes through expansion of the Native arts market. Since its inception, the IACB has supported the community role Indigenous artists and craftworkers hold as intergenerational heritage bearers and mentors by developing educational resources, photographic collections, and other frameworks for preserving traditional cultural activities, and by fostering the participation of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the economic art market.
In this undated photograph, Cherokee sculptor Amanda Crowe leads a woodcarving class on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Crowe, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, combined modern sculpture techniques with Cherokee tools to whittle animal figures, especially bears. After studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and in Mexico, Crowe returned to North Carolina where she inspired future artists as an instructor at Cherokee High School and various IACB-sponsored art programs. She also exhibited her work alongside other members of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a tribal-owned marketing cooperative established under the IACB.
Established by an act of Congress in 1935, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) was tasked with improving economic conditions among federally recognized tribes through expansion of the Native arts market. Since its inception, the IACB has supported the community role Indigenous artists and craftworkers hold as intergenerational heritage bearers and mentors by developing educational resources, photographic collections, and other frameworks for preserving traditional cultural activities, and by fostering the participation of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the economic art market.
In this undated photograph, Cherokee sculptor Amanda Crowe leads a woodcarving class on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Crowe, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, combined modern sculpture techniques with Cherokee tools to whittle animal figures, especially bears. After studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and in Mexico, Crowe returned to North Carolina where she inspired future artists as an instructor at Cherokee High School and various IACB-sponsored art programs. She also exhibited her work alongside other members of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a tribal-owned marketing cooperative established under the IACB.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
National Archives Identifier: 281632
Full Citation: Photograph 435-ART001-115B(1); Visitors to the Craftsmen's Fair at the Cherokee Indian Reservation, Cherokee North Carolina, watch Amanda Crowe, Well-Known Cherokee Wood Sculptor and Her Students Demonstrate Their Art; Cherokee Field Office Records, 1968 - 1983; Records of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Record Group 435; National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, GA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/amanda-crowe, February 12, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.