Celebrating Amanda Crowe

Go behind-the-scenes of today’s Doodle below!

Historical images in the video provided courtesy of Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual and Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, today’s video Doodle celebrates Eastern Band Cherokee Indian woodcarver and educator Amanda Crowe, a prolific artist renowned for her expressive animal figures. Led by Doodler Lydia Nichols, the Doodle was created in collaboration with the Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual as well as William “Bill” H. Crowe, Jr., woodcarver and nephew and former student of Amanda Crowe. Aside from highlighting Crowe’s own words and passion for her craft, the Doodle features high resolution imagery of Amanda’s true works housed in her homeland at Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, the nation’s oldest American Indian cooperative. The music is also an original composition by her nephew, Bill.

Born in 1928, Crowe was raised within the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina, which is territory owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Her artistic talent emerged early, as she began drawing and carving around the age of four. Although Crowe said she was “barely old enough to handle a knife,” she was determined to express herself. Studying with her uncle Goingback Chiltoskey, a well-known woodcarver in his own right, Crowe honed her skills, carrying her tools to school to pursue her passion for creativity and even selling her carvings as a child.

In 1946, Crowe earned a scholarship to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, expanding her vision through exposure to the world-renowned museum’s permanent collection of sculpture. She learned to work with plaster, stone, and metal, but always came back to wood as her preferred medium. “The grain challenges me to create objects in three dimensions,” she explained. “A mistake or flaw in the wood will improve your design. To me, a knot can be the best part.”

After earning her Master of Fine Arts degree, Crowe studied in Mexico with the renowned sculptor José de Creeft before returning to her homeland in the Qualla Boundary. There, she established a studio in the Paint Town community and began teaching art classes at Cherokee High School, where she would teach over 2000 students over the course of 40 years.

As many prominent American Indian artists studied under Crowe, her tutelage has been credited with fostering a resurgence of Cherokee carving. Crowe’s work can has been showcased in the High Museum in Atlanta and the Mint Museum in Charlotte in addition to private collections all over the world.

Learn more about how the Google American Indian Network is celebrating Native American Heritage Month here.

Amanda Crowe Doodle Team

Art Lead | Lydia Nichols

Animation Support | Helene Leroux

Producer | Colin Duffy

Marketing, Partnerships, & Licensing | Perla Campos, Madeline Belliveau, Carlos Diaz

Music | William “Bill” H. Crowe, Jr.

Consultants | Google American Indian Network

Doodle Team Lead | Jessica Yu, Brian Kaas

Music Support | Silas Hite

Special thanks to our partners

Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual

William “Bill” H. Crowe, Jr.