Acclaimed Ky. folk artist and Lexington poet carve a new spin on “Mommy Goose”
Renowned Kentucky folk artist Minnie Adkins is 85 years old, and her work is as in demand as ever.
Adkins she said she still gets more orders for her work than she can keep filled.
“I ain’t going as strong as I used to, but I’m hanging in there,” she said.
Judging by her artistic output, she’s doing pretty well.
One of her recent projects was carving more than 170 wooden figures that were used as illustrations for a book of poems by Lexington author Mike Norris.
“That was a lot of whittling,” Adkins said.
“Ring Around the Moon: Mommy Goose Rhymes” is Adkins and Norris’ fourth collaborative book effort, and the second Mommy Goose book they’ve done.
Their first two books, “Sonny the Monkey” and “Bright Blue Rooster Down on the Farm,” were followed in 2015 by “Mommy Goose: Rhymes from the Mountains.”
Both Mommy Goose books have been published by the University Press of Kentucky.
The new 50-page book is available through Kentuckypress.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Joseph Beth for $19.95.
“When we get together, there’s a compatibility between what I write and what she carves that doesn’t have much of a seam between them,” Norris said.
Their friendship has spanned more than 25 years.
“Her spirit is like the spirit of my grandmother,” Norris said. “She was a very active person. She was a doer. Minnie just has that same can-do spirit.”
The book features 60 rhymes that Norris said will appeal to children and adults alike, accompanied by carvings by Adkins representing each of them.
Norris said several themes emerged as he worked on this book, such as kindness, conflict and the power of words.
There are poems that focus on a range of subjects long common to those living in the mountains, from Appalachian lore to the idea of leaving home to find work in the city.
There are also some that subtly touch on current hot topics, including gender roles, bullying and what Norris called the “conflictual spirit of the time that we’re living in.”
He said the poem “In For a Penny” “never uses the word addiction, but ... it is getting at that.”
When asked about their favorite poem in the book, both Norris and Adkins independently chose the same one: “One-Eyed Jack,” which tells the tale of a boy who uses words to get the better of the girl who bullies him.
Norris, who retired from a career as the communications director at Centre College in 2011, said their creative process has developed a rhythm over the years.
For the “Ring Around the Moon,” he said he made regular trips to visit Adkins at her shop and home in Isonville, bringing her 10 poems at a time to look at and talk about carvings for.
Adkins always had a meal of soup beans, cabbage and corn bread waiting.
Once the carvings were done, Adkins brought them back to his home in Lexington, where he took photos of them that became the illustrations for the book.
He said the work for each of their books comes in segments that take about nine months each: a period for writing, one for carving, one for photography and layout and one for printing.
For Norris, the easiest part is writing.
“The rhymes tend to have a volition of their own,” he said. “When they come, you’ve got to write them down.”
Maurice Manning, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for poetry and author of the recently-released collection “Railsplitter,” called Norris and Adkins’ most recent book “a wonderful celebration of language.”
Adkins said Mommy Goose has changed a little for this book.
“She looks older,” she said. “She’s wearing a purple hat and walking with a cane now.”
But, Norris said, “we’re not going to slow down until nature tells us we have to.”
Both said they have still more stories to tell.
“We have enjoyed so much doing the books,” Adkins said. “I hope maybe we can do some more ... if I last long enough!”
She said she never gets tired of carving.
“I’m real happy with what I’m doing and what I get out of it,” she said.
The carvings from “Ring Around the Moon” will be part of an exhibit featuring several Kentucky artists at the Central Library Gallery from March 11 to May 10. The exhibit, Kentucky Craft Luminaries: Sharing the Stories, was organized by the Kentucky Craft History and Education Association.
Adkins and Norris will present a children’s program featuring rhymes and songs from “Ring Around The Moon” at 2:30 p.m. March 31 in the Central Library’s Farish Theater.
