DANVILLE — Members of the public can determine for themselves whether or not wood carving is an art after the Kickapoo Karvers annual wood carving show Saturday and Sunday.

Visitors will vote for the best work in 12 categories. They’ll also vote for the winners in 12 categories of carving that will be on display during the weekend.

The debate has gone on for years between woodcarvers and fine arts groups. Some of the latter consider the carvings more of a craft form than works of art.

“I define art as one of a kind,” Buzz Ritchie, Karvers’ member, said. “What we do isn’t a craft since it can’t be mass produced.

“It’s a form of sculpture that’s made of wood,” the Catlin man said.

Club president Ken Parsons said, “At times you look at a piece of wood and you see something in it. Other times, you start with the idea but have to change it because of the wood.”

Ritchie remembered working at a previous show where he made several attempts to carve a face on the same piece of wood.

“I had to move it back three times,” he said, “but that’s the good thing about wood. If you make a mistake, you have another chance.”

Ritchie serves as chairman for the group’s 27th annual show, staged this year at New Life Banquet Center in Holiday Square. He’s carved with the group for the past 14 years.

“The amount of time you spend on a piece varies,” he said. “It depends on the project and the carver’s skill.

“It can get addictive,” he said, as he displayed a cigar store Indian he carved. “I spent about 90 hours on this.”

From the cigars the Indian clutched in one hand to the tobacco leaves he held in the other to the feathers in the headdress, the attention to detail showed the time the piece had required.

Most members join the group to learn how to carve after viewing a previous show or an exhibit. The group has displays at the annual Vermilion River Fall Festival in Ellsworth Park and at Danville Public Library.

Parsons, the club president, has been a member since 1991. Now that he’s retired, he said he carves more often.

“I’m working on two or three pieces right now,” the Danville man said. “I’d never carved before I bought some tools from an estate sale. Once I found the club, the members were very helpful in getting me started. “

Now, Parsons specializes in wildlife. Some of his most prized carvings are of an eagle, a bison and a snowy owl. These are all painted with acrylics to match the animals’ colors.

Parsons said the club boasts about 85 members and meets the first and third Sunday of each month. Members share carving techniques, ask for advice from more experienced carvers and participate in seminars with carving specialists. Membership dues are $10 a year.

They also hold Saturday classes that teach the basics of several carving techniques. The $65 fee for that class includes $55 in materials alone. A basic carving class will be held Nov. 15 and 22.

Admission to the show is $1 for those over 12 and free for those under 12. Carvers from around the country will exhibit their work as well as offer advice on techniques.

IF YOU GO

The Kickapoo Karvers 27th Annual Wood Carvers Show takes place from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sunday at New Life Banquet Center, 1419 N. Bowman Ave. Admission is $1, with children under 12 admitted free.

Demonstrations will include:

11 a.m. Saturday – Wood burning

1 p.m. Saturday – Soap carving for children

2:30 p.m. Saturday – Caricature carving

11 a.m. Sunday – Intoduction to carving tools

1 p.m. – Soap carving for children.

Wood, tools, books and patterns will be sold at the show.