Amanda Crowe

Amanda Crowe, Cherokee, successfully combined the roles of artist and teacher and has received numerous honors and awards 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.

Returning to the Reservation following her completion of a Masters of Fine Art from the Chicago Art Institute was a turning point for students at the Cherokee High School. Crowe transformed carving from a minor craft to a virtual art industry during her almost 40 years as a teacher.

Crowe has been carving birds and animals since the age of four. She has occasionally worked in stone and clay, but wood is her favorite medium. I carve because I love to do it, she says. The movement of the grains—they almost seem alive under your hands—and the beautiful tones and textures all add life to the figures you whittle.

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