Hawkins Bolden loved tending his well-kept vegetable garden in the backyard of his family’s home in Memphis, Tennessee. He was adept at growing Southern staples like okra, tomatoes, hot peppers and collard greens, all of which provided sustenance for his extended family and gave him a sense of purpose and joy.

Following advice from a younger family member that scarecrows might help keep birds and other pests from eating his seed and destroying his vegetables, Bolden began creating elaborate “scarecrow” assemblages using found materials scavenged from the streets and alleyways near his home. His garden was soon obsessively filled with scarecrows outnumbering the plants they served, and Bolden installed a new suite of constructions in the yard before each growing season. In his hands, refuse and the junk he recycled from the trash transformed into powerful talismans, totems and mask-like faces bearing crude holes for eyes and tongues and ears made of garden hose, shoe soles and carpet strips cut using razors and saws.

Two striking aspects of Hawkins Bolden’s life are that he was born an identical twin to Monroe Bolden, and that when the boys were very young and playing baseball in a vacant lot, an accident happened involving his brother that led to Hawkins Bolden going completely blind by the age of eight. The bond of being a twin was something Bolden spoke about often and cherished for life, and in some regards, without this tragic accident and the loss of his sight, he might not have lived the fulfilling artistic life that he did. 

While Hawkins Bolden never considered himself to be an artist, or even understood the concept in relation to his prolific output of highly-unique scarecrows, there is no doubt that he became one through an extreme dedication to his craft– making scarecrows to protect his garden. Bolden’s endeavors obviously feel more compelling, magical and inspiring in light of his life’s situation, but the power of his works is not defined by, nor dependent upon, this knowledge. His figurative constructions display a visual consistency that is wide-ranging, but always identifiable, and they demonstrate a complete mastery of materials and a raw power that transcends their maker’s circumstances. 

Hawkins Bolden (1914-2005) was born in the Bailey’s Bottom section of Memphis, TN, to parents of African American, Creole and Native American descent. He created scarecrows during the last forty years of his life, and his works are now included in the collections of The Smithsonian Museum of Art, The High Museum, the de Young Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many more institutions and collections.