Whirligigs: Frank Harris

December 5 - 29, 2007

Frank Harris's handcrafted whirligigs capture the joy of the holiday season. Always charmed by folk art and curious to learn how things work, Mr. Harris began carving Santa whirligigs over 20 years ago. Only two of each style of whirligigs were crafted. One is on display for our pleasure at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts through December 29th and the second is in the private collection of Mr. Harris's sister. Whirligigs are whimsical, wind-driven expressions of American folk art that first appeared in this country nearly 200 years ago. Traditional designs depict common characters and activities of early American rural life. Formally trained as an engineer with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri, Mr. Harris has been on his artistic journey for over 35 years. His private collection of whirligigs is the last of Mr. Harris's carving, as he now pursues the pleasure of painting spectacular floor cloths. Moving to our area in 1986, he became active in local government and was the mayor of Juno Beach, Florida from 1992 until 2000. During his tenure as an elected official, Mr. Harris became involved with the Lighthouse Center for the Arts and his love of the arts has kept him here as an active member.

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