Art Parkin Woodcarving
Millville, NJ

Renowned South Jersey woodcarver, Art Parkin, has been carving since the 80s and has enjoyed numerous awards and blue ribbons along the way. He has competed in the Annual World Show in Ocean City, Maryland. His work has been shown in the WheatonArts Festival of Fine Craft, the Wings and Water Festival in Stone Harbor and Avalon, the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, the Louisiana Wildfowl Festival in New Orleans, and the Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show in Tuckerton, New Jersey.

He worked as the resident woodcarver for ten years at WheatonArts in Millville, New Jersey, retiring in December of 2007. Art loved to share his knowledge and enthusiasm of carving with the children and visitors touring the center, explaining about the tupelo gum wood he uses for carving the birds. He would explain the differences between painting in oils, which he prefers, over acrylics and answering questions anyone might ask. Terry Ruggles, from 10 NBC TV, came to the center and did a segment for his TV Show “Take This Job,” doing an interview and having Art demonstrate how to carve a shorebird.

Art is very active in community and church affairs. He is a past board member of both the Vineland Community Art Alliance and the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, volunteering many hours at both. He resides in Millville with his wife. His carving studio is an addition onto his garage that he built when he retired from O-I/Schott as a Project Engineer in 1990. If you’re looking for Art, more than likely, that’s where you’ll find him.