James “Bud” Smith

Born: A native of Cherokee, North Carolina and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, I studied woodcarving at Cherokee High School under the well-known Native American sculptor, Amanda Crowe. Since 1993, I have taught contemporary and traditional Native American woodcarving techniques in grades 9-12. I have also been an instructor at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina. I attended Southwestern Community College and Western Carolina University in Sylva, North Carolina. I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, a Master of Arts in Education, and received a Doctorate in Education at Oakland City University, Oakland City, Indiana.

Sculpture is by nature a tactile experience. Wood sculpture is the most hands-on of any three-dimensional medium. I work with my hands; I see with my hands; I feel with my hands. I really had no choice other than to become a sculptor.

Being Native American brings many things to my art. I have something inside me that only other Native artists can understand. When you couple that innate spirit with individual experiences, you develop a distinctive style.

The majority of my recent work is reflective of my attempts to delve into areas of life, emotion, and experiences that are unknown and often foreign to me, such as relationships and motherhood. I wish to express and explore these concepts in the simplest of terms and with the least amount of resistance in the sculpture. I work, see, and feel with my hands with the hope that they will speak.

[Source: Artist's Website https://www.jbudart.com/home-1]