Joanne Webb was an original crafts demonstrator at the Ozark Folk Center when the state park opened in 1973 making applehead dolls. She demonstrated and sold applehead dolls at the OFC, and at the Arkansas Craft Guild. Her applehead doll instruction book with hand-drawn illustrations continued to sell long after she stopped producing dolls.
This Ozark Folk Center 50th Anniversary Legacy Photo is sponsored by her children:
Karl, Andy, Jan, Frances, James, David & Lori.
This blog entry is by Lori Freeze:
My mother, Joanne Webb, had many phases of interests, and a broad skill set – drawing, sculpting, painting, sewing – helped her excel as she applied them to various pursuits throughout the years.
A native of Illinois, one of the first things she got into after moving to Arkansas was clay sculpting. She used the red clay from the ditch banks, with some commercial grade mixed in. For several years we had a kiln on the back porch.
She was good at lettering, and worked as a commercial sign/window painter as a sideline for awhile. My brother Andy remembers accompanying her down 9 or 10 flights of ladders painting 'caution' notices on elevator doors when Blanchard Caverns was being developed.
Mom was a founding member of the Ozark Foothills Handicraft Guild (now Arkansas Craft Guild). She always had a booth at the spring show, and was active in the Guild even if she didn't produce much for sale in the shops. In 2009, she received the Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Early Guild show with family.
Over the years Joanne was featured in national magazines including a cover story for Womens' Circle in 1965.
We appeared twice in Arkansas Folk Festival parades and she once entered me in a costume contest. Joanne was also the seamstress in the OFC dress shop, creating dresses and shirts for the crafts demonstrators so that they could be properly attired for the time period depicted.
I was 8 years old when the OFC opened, and I sported a bright dress with a crocheted collar made by either Dad's mother or sister. I believe this photo was taken by Edwin Luther.
I spent many a summer day in the OFC craft area after that, watching long sections of apple peel curl away from Mom's hand as she carved golden delicious apples in shapes that would become doll heads. She created basic facial features, dipped the "head" into lemon juice and then replaced the apple core with a dowel rod and a mixture that contained sulphur as a preservative. After a few days under the light bulbs in the drying box the apples would shrink into the semblance of wrinkled old people. Tourists would peek in the box and remark that they looked like shrunken heads. Well, they WERE shrunken heads! Mom would squeeze pinto beans into the eye sockets and paint irises and pupils. After a bit of coloring and sealant, the heads were ready for whatever artificial wig she had created. She would then create a wire frame "body" attached to the dowel, add some padding and wrap it with strips of muslin. She would then dress the man or woman in clothing she created, resulting in a doll about the size of a Barbie.
By the time Mom became seamstress I had been granted freedom to roam and was a regular on the grounds, visiting other shops and/or exploring among the large rocks in the wooded area. I knew all the spiels of my favorite crafters, and I was always dressed appropriately (by then I had
a long green plaid dress with an apron) so it wasn't unusual for them to catch a bathroom break when I stopped by. I usually took my barefooted self to the outdoor stage during the music programs to jigdance. It's a wonder I have any skin at all on the bottoms of my feet after running
around on those sidewalks and dancing on the wooden stage.
All that experience paid off when I got an actual paying job as a relief person the summer before I started college. Many years later I actually got paid as a squaredancer.
Multiple family members also have a history with the OFC. My eldest sister, Jan, took over the applehead doll production, sister Frances worked as a sales clerk, and brother James worked at the restaurant. The Ozark Folk Center has been extremely important to my family and I treasure the memories created there.
Blog entry by Lori Freeze. Applehead doll photo courtesy Arkansas State Archives PH.OCRC.2722
The Committee of One Hundred Tribute Wall recognizes contributions to the preservation of Ozark folk culture.
If you would like to help preserve the folk culture of the Ozarks, consider a
The Committee is made up entirely of volunteers so, except for transaction fees, all of your donation funds music, craft, or the herb gardens and, as a 501c3 entity
your donation is tax deductible!
Thanks, Lori -- nicely done!