Treasures Artist Profiles

Ora Anderson
Ora Anderson, in his early 90s, is a fine carver of North American birds whose art is owned by collectors in all 50 states and in many foreign countries. His art career was inspired by his beloved wife, the late Harriet Jocoby Anderson, an Athens, Ohio, native and brilliantly talented abstract and textile artist of the 1950s and 60s. The Andersons moved in 1956 to their Athens County farm, where Ora still lives, and began planting the thousands of trees that now qualify the Anderson property as a certified tree farm. Ora has remained an active birdwatcher and advocate of natural conservation throughout his lifetime. Additionally, Ora and Harriet were visionaries and co-founders of The Dairy Barn in Athens, an arts center respected regionally, nationally, and internationally.

David & Roberta Baird
The Bairds use base materials to create earthy, one-of-a-kind objects from striking jewelry to large sculpture. Their reliance on acid etching and embossing and free-hand construction and metal enameling techniques makes their jewelry, in particular, among the most unusual now being created. Their designs range from realistic to abstract, reflecting a vast array of influences. Roberta, a self-taught metal artist, attended Kent State University and has been a professional craftswomen for 25 year. David received his BFA from Ohio State University and has enjoyed a 30-year career as a craftsman. Residents of Athens County, Ohio, for more than 30 years, the Bairds enjoy an enviably bohemian lifestyle on their wooded hilltop farm. David also is a cofounder and director emeritus of the Foothills School of American Crafts, located in nearby historic Nelsonville, Ohio.

Bobbi Bishop
Bobbi, a potter, and her late husband, potter and sculptor Bruce Bishop, had both enjoyed successful careers as art educators when they migrated to the Hocking Hills in the 1970s. There they became deeply ensconced in hill-country life. As a means of providing a sales venue for themselves and other local artisans and to share the beauty of the lush gardens they had cultivated on their hillside property, Bobbi and Bruce conceived of LilyFest, now a big-hitter among the Hocking Valley’s many fine festivals. Drawing 5,000 or more visitors in a three-day period each July, LilyFest allows visitors to peruse handmade works displayed near the outdoor gardens and to hear live music of the region. Bobbi still throws pottery in the studio attached to her woodland home.

Lucy Bowen Shaw
A watercolorist inspired by nature’s beauty, Lucy Bowen Shaw is spryly approaching a century of life in the Hocking Hills. The commitment of Lucy and her late husband, George Shaw, to the arts resulted in their gift of The Bowen House, the 1831 Bowen family home, as a community art and cultural center in Logan, Ohio. The Bowen House has a proud, longstanding association with the arts—at the turn of the 20th century, the mistress of the house hired piano teachers from nearby Columbus to provide lessons to local children; as early as the mid-19th century the family was hosting gatherings of locals who enjoyed the arts and the discussions of local and world affairs.

1909-2005
In memory of

Elbert Mercer
In his late nineties, Elbert Mercer is widely knows for his extraordinary watercolors, oils and pastels. His inspiration has been the natural beauty and wildlife found in and around his beloved Hocking Hills home. Mercer helped develop the first photographic screening process for the glass industry while working for Owens-Illinois Glass as a younger man. Lancaster-based Anchor Hocking recognized his talent in glass design and lured him from New York City back to his native Ohio—more specifically to southern Fairfield County—where he worked until his retirement. Elbert still devotes time to his art.