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Wayne Barton, June 1955

Wayne Barton Jun 55Barton is a recognized artist, inventor-designer, author, writer, and lecturer-teacher of woodcarving. His personal work is sought by collectors around the world.

At Taft, Barton started the first "Big Brother, Big Sister" program at Taft with classmate Cynthia Celusta to orient and guid incoming freshmen. He played four years on the basketball team, track team, and bowling team, and even found time to set pins at the Edison Park Bowl.

Barton is the only American artist invited to exhibit his style of work in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, Switzerland. He has authored eight books on woodcarving, published and sold in six countries, designed and manufactured specific tools for woodcarving and invented two new artistic fonts in the field of calligraphy including a foliated alphabet. He has lectured at the Chicago Art Institute, taught at the Chicago School of Woodcarving, and founded and directed the Alpine School of Woodcarving, Ltd.

Barton attended Wright Junior College and Illinois State University, then traveled to Europe for formal training and studies in the art of woodcarving and design in Brienz, the famous woodcarving center in the Swiss Alps.

Although he has been awarded first place in every competition entered, Barton’s focus has always been on teaching and sharing his woodcarving knowledge with others. He specializes in the decorative form of carving known as chip carving or kerbschnitzen (notch and/or groove carving). Besides teaching at colleges, schools, institutions, and organizations across the United States, he has also taught in Canada, Switzerland, and Norway. He has appeared on The American Woodshop and The Woodwright's Shop on PBS.