Next date: Friday, February 06, 2026 | 10:30 AM to 04:30 PM
Jesse Aaron: Spirit in the Wood is an exhibition that explores the artist’s intention to release, through carving, the familiar faces of spirit, animal, and human forms from within the essential and life-giving material of wood. Jesse Aaron (b. 1887, Lake City, FL - d. 1979, Gainesville, FL) created sculptures that once surrounded his suburban Gainesville home—initially as faces growing on living bark, warding off evil from anyone or anything wishing harm to his household—and later as standalone sculptures displayed in his covered front porch studio, inviting curious students, inquisitive curators, and interested collectors into his gallery. Aaron described his artistic journey as following a literal call from God, who implored him, “Jesse, carve wood.” This divine message, which came to Aaron after he sought guidance on how to care for his wife’s worsening eyesight, delivered itself through the calm of 3:00 A.M. on July 5th, 1968, and motivated him with a sincerity to create that went beyond mere financial concerns.
“God put the faces in the wood. Don’t bring me a piece of wood and ask me to carve something out of it. ‘Cause I won't. Don’t tell me what you want, it might not be there, you understand?” -- Jesse Aaron
On View February 6 – May 3, 2026
From left to right: Jesse Aaron, Untitled, 1970-1971. Wood and mixed media. Height: 19 1/2 inches. Collection of the Mennello Museum of American Art, Gift of JoAnn and Gerald Bloom, 2022-001-001 © 2025 Jesse Aaron Jesse Aaron, Untitled (Mule Head), n.d. Carved cypress knee. Height: 18 inches. Collection of the Mennello Museum of American Art, Museum Purchase by the Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art, 2009 © 2025 Jesse Aaron Jesse Aaron, Untitled (Boar Head), n.d. Carved wood, lucite eyes. Collection of the Mennello Museum of American Art, Museum Purchase, 1994-054 © 2025 Jesse Aaron Jesse Aaron, Untitled, n.d. Wood. Height: 18½ inches. Collection of the Mennello Museum of American Art, by way of transfer from Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, Gift of the Estate of Dr. Jane Carver Holmes, made possible by the Frank Holt Fund in memory of Frank Holt, Founding Director, 2023-001-001 © 2025 Jesse Aaron
Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 E. Princeton Street, Orlando, FL, 32803, View Map
900 E. Princeton Street , Orlando, FL 32803
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