Minnie Adkins (born 1934)
Minnie Adkins (born 1934)
Minnie Adkins is one of the most acclaimed of the Kentucky carvers and a true champion of folk art. Born on a tobacco farm in eastern Kentucky, Adkins still lives a stone’s throw away from the house where she was raised. As a child, she was fascinated by whittling so her father gave her a pocketknife. She began by making slingshots and discovered that the same type of forked stick could be transformed into roosters. Foxes, ‘possums, and other creatures of the wild comprise her artistic menagerie. For many years, Adkins worked collaboratively with her husband, Garland, who would shape the large forms with a chainsaw. Minnie would bring them to life by carving the details and painting the sculpture. When Garland died in 1997, Minnie thought she would never carve again, but making art helped to soothe her grief. Adkins hosts “A Day in the Country,” an annual folk art picnic that features many local artists and attracts collectors from around the country. She has won numerous awards including the Distinguished Artist Award from the Folk Art Society of America in 1993, The Appalachian Treasure Award in 1994, and the Individual Artist Award in 1998 presented by the Governor of Kentucky. In 1998 Morehead University in Kentucky bestowed Minnie and Garland (posthumously) with Honorary Doctorates of Humanities.
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