The City of Wilson, Wilson Downtown Development Corporation, Wilson Downtown Properties and Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum are joining with local businesses and state agencies to create the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project: a new downtown park that provides a showcase for 31 colossal sculptures by vernacular artist Vollis Simpson (1919-2013). The park will create a distinctive identity for this small city and serve as the focus for both a workforce training program and a new Industrial Artisan District featuring furniture refinishing, architectural salvage materials, design services, antiques, leatherwork, bookbinding and printing, glass manufacturers, repurposed materials designers, musicians and more.
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See below for recent updates, press, and events from this project
press
Feb 25, 2020
Congratulations to Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina, for being selected as the 2019 Great Places in America "People's Choice"! Whirligig Park is... Read More
press
Jan 10, 2018
‘Folk art” is perhaps the art world’s most elastic term outside of “performance art” or “installation art.” It can apply variously to small wood carvings... Read More
press
Nov 13, 2017
Henry Walston hopes the wind is blowing this afternoon. He wants the whirligigs to turn in the wind and put on a show for the... Read More
blog
Oct 15, 2012
The Vollis Simpson Whirlgig Park is well on its way to opening next year, and is already attracting attention. If you haven't been following their... Read More
blog
Apr 16, 2012
The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Project as a Collaborative Project The goals of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Project are to repair and conserve 29 large whirligigs... Read More
blog
Mar 12, 2012
The overall goal of The Whirligig Project is to save, preserve and leverage the uniquely authentic local asset of Vollis Simpson's visionary art work to... Read More
blog
Jan 12, 2012
Thoughts From the Conservation Crew There are days that we explore the creative mechanics and engineering that Simpson puts into his artwork. More recently, however,... Read More
blog
Dec 18, 2011
Simpson Receives North Carolina Award The North Carolina Awards were instituted in 1961 by the NC General Assembly. The awards have been given annually since... Read More
blog
Nov 15, 2011
Vollis Simpson never calls himself an artist, but the thousands of people who visit his astounding whirligig field in Wilson County, North Carolina, certainly do... Read More
blog
Oct 15, 2011
The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project from Gerret Warner on Vimeo . Vollis Simpson documentary from Gerret Warner on Vimeo . Read More
blog
Sep 02, 2011
Vollis Simpson’s whirligigs anchor new downtown park and brand a city. Vollis Simpson , a graduate of the 11 th grade and the U.S. Army... Read More
blog
Jul 25, 2017
Have you ever considered partnership with traditional workforce development entities to further a culture of art in your community? Could your organization's artistic endeavors help...Read more
blog
Feb 16, 2017
Once home to a thriving tobacco industry, Wilson is a small city of just under 50,000 people in rural North Carolina. The most recent census...Read more