Elijah Pierce

(Baldwyn, Mississippi, 1892 - 1984, Columbus, Ohio)

North America, American

Elijah Pierce hailed from rural Mississippi, but he lived much of his life in Columbus. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Pierce worked as a barber (his trained profession), and he also preached, using his simple, yet powerful and colorful carvings to help communicate his message. Eventually Pierce set up his barbershop in downtown Columbus. His carvings were discovered by the art world in the 1970s; as a result, Pierce began carving again for his new audience, incorporating popular culture and other themes into his work, until his death in 1984. (*from the Columbus Museum of Art website - to be incorporated with new bio)

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