From Arkansas Arts Online

Today the 7th and 8th grade students and high school students all worked on the boat, so we got a lot done. The photo above shows adding additional strips to the gunnels and beginning to add the floor.

From Artlines Online, a publication of the Arkansas Arts Council:

Doug Stowe of Eureka Springs is Selected as 2009 Arkansas Living Treasure

Doug Stowe vividly remembers the day in college when he was working on the restoration of an antique Ford. His mentor, who was helping him that day, said, "Doug, I don't know why you are studying to be a lawyer when your brains are so clearly in your hands."

In response to his mentor's advice, Doug began taking pottery classes in college and later moved to Eureka Springs to become a potter. In 1976, he began working with wood at a small furniture shop to supplement his income. This is when he discovered his true calling to be a woodworker.

Doug Stowe has been selected by the Arkansas Arts Council as the 2009 Arkansas Living Treasure. Now in its eighth year, the Arkansas Living Treasure award recognizes an Arkansan who is outstanding in the creation of a traditional craft, who has elevated his or her work to the status of art, and who actively preserves and advances the art form through community outreach and educating others.

Joy Pennington, executive director of the Arkansas Arts Council, said the award not only recognizes individuals who create traditional crafts, but also ensures that we help encourage the continuation of these crafts for years to come.

From 1976 to 1995, Doug was a self-employed craftsman making custom furniture and a line of small boxes. In 1995, Doug wrote his first book and has since written numerous articles for a variety of woodworking magazines. He has published five books and one woodworking DVD, with his next book and DVD scheduled to come out in fall of 2009.

In 2001, after noting a severe decline in participation in crafts by younger generations and specifically a decline in woodworking programs in schools, Doug developed the Wisdom of Hands program at Clear Spring School in Eureka Springs.

The purpose of the program, he said, is to demonstrate the value of woodworking in general, non-vocational education. His belief is that all children can benefit from the intellectual development that woodworking can provide. Today he is the director of the program and also a teacher at the school.

Doug has also become an international advocate for hands-on learning for children. He has twice presented papers on the subject at universities in Finland and Sweden.

Doug continues to write regularly for a variety of woodworking magazines, and he also contributes daily to a blog that attracts readers from all over the world.

Doug only uses native Arkansas woods in his work, and he is entirely self-taught.

A reception to honor his work will be held Sunday, May 17, from 2-4 p.m. in the Conference Room Conservatory in the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.

For more information about Doug, visit his website at www.dougstowe.com.

After work by the high school students, the boat now has seats and floorboards as you can see in the photo below: