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Written by JRM for loan of Skunk and Rooster to U.S. government’s Art in Embassies program for the embassy at Ouagadougou, Burkino Faso, 2014
Garland Adkins (1928-1997) and Minnie Adkins
Garland and Minnie Adkins are from Isonville, Elliott County, Kentucky, in rural Appalachia, one of the poorest regions in the United States. Self-taught artists, their works depict both wild and domestic animals commonly found near their home. The shapes of they branches they carve often dictate the animals’ forms. For example, this rooster was made out of piece of wood where a branch forked from another branch. The Adkins’ works are often symmetric and rigid, creating an ideal, iconic version of an animal. Yet the stiffness of the animals contrasts with the moving quality of actual animals, creating a sense of humor and whimsy.