Collections Connection: Ale Bowls with Phillip Odden
In this recorded presentation, woodworker Phillip Odden and Vesterheim Collections Manager Jennifer Kovarik highlight hand-carved ale bowls from Vesterheim’s collection. Ale bowls are naturally connected to the drinking habits of Norwegians, and as Phil says, it’s “a complex, yet very earthy story.”
Phillip Odden is a professional woodcarver and Vesterheim Gold Medalist. He trained at the Hjerleid School in Dovre, Norway, and he and his wife, Else Bigton, have a workshop near Barronett, Wisconsin. Together, they authored the books Treskjærer Kunsten (The Art of Woodcarving) and Laerebok i Treskjaering (Textbook in Woodcarving). Find out more about Phillip and the classes he’s teaching at Vesterheim here.
Collection Connections is a series of Vesterheim-hosted conversations between the museum’s collections staff and folk-art school instructors. Highlighting the incredible folk-art collection at Vesterheim, these conversations are also opportunities for you to stay connected with your folk-art community. Each gathering will highlight a piece or two from the collection as explained, interpreted, and appreciated by a master folk artist.
Subscribe to Vesterheim’s YouTube channel here.