Ten years ago, when I was traveling in the Ozark Mountains, I bought a whirligig at a craft shop by the side of the road in Arkansas. It was the figure of a bluebird that paddled like a swimmer in the ...

LUCAMA, N.C. (AP) — When a breeze brushes through the field just below Vollis Simpson’s machine shop, you can hear the sounds of metal clanging against metal and of Ferris wheel-like contraptions ...

WILSON, N.C. – The eccentric vision of a self-taught North Carolina artist famed for his whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs is getting an overhaul that's as much about engineering as it is about art.

RALEIGH, N.C. Where others saw trash, Vollis Simpson saw whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs, creations with hundreds of moving parts that turned and twirled. The whirligigs were made from recycled ...

Dedicated conservationists conduct routine maintenance checks two to four times a year to ensure the longevity of the iconic sculptures. After a recent evaluation, three whirligigs were taken down for ...

If you don’t know what a whirligig is, head for a unique festival this weekend in Wilson, North Carolina. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a whirligig as “a child’s toy having a whirling motion, ...

When you visit the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, bring a neck pillow. You’ll probably have the same reaction everyone does: to stare upward, open-mouthed, in amazement. Watching these ...

RALEIGH, N.C. — Vollis Simpson, a self-taught North Carolina artist famed for his whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs, has died. He was 94. Beth Liles of Joyner's Funeral Home confirmed the death ...

WILSON, N.C. — You really need to be outdoors and looking up to see the art of Vollis Simpson. And it helps if there’s a breeze. The late folk artist was known for his “outsider” kinetic pieces called ...

When a breeze brushes through the field just below Vollis Simpson's machine shop, you can hear the sounds of metal clanging against metal and of Ferris wheel-like contraptions turning. But the ...