Jan. 3, 2013

Caption royalblue:Hand-crafted spearfishing decoys by Robert A. Schwartz

Burton Barr Central Library will host the exhibit, “Beneath the Ice: The Folk Art of Robert A. Schwartz,” Feb. 1 – 28 in the second floor reading room at 1221 N. Central Ave.  The exhibit features more than 60 hand-crafted ice spearfishing decoys, a life-size ice spearfishing house, and photos and information about the sport.  (Click here for high resolution images.)

The exhibit opens with a celebration for the entire family 6 – 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 in the exhibit space.  Meet the artist and watch a live demonstration of his hand-carving techniques.  Make fish prints from real fish and play fish-focused games.  Learn about native and sport fish in the state from an Arizona Game and Fish Department expert.  Programs continue on select Saturdays throughout the month.  

Robert A Schwartz was born in New Ulm, Minnesota in 1945 and grew up just one block from the banks of the Minnesota River.  He learned to whittle, but did not begin carving fish decoys until the age of 48.  Since then, Schwartz has carved more than 350 decoys and has been featured in the book “Fish Decoy Makers Past and Present” by Donald J. Petersen.  Schwartz is a member of the National Fish Decoy Association.

For more information, visit phoenixpubliclibrary.org.  Phoenix Public Library is a system of 16 branch libraries and the Burton Barr Central Library.  Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/phxlibrary and “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/phoenixpubliclibrary.
 

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