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The Ward Brothers Workshop

 

Discover the inspiration and genius of the two brothers whose decoy carvings transformed pragmatic realism into expressive realization.

Hours

Open for Tours 2022  (10:30am- 2:00pm)
 May 28th, June 11th, June 25th, July 9th, July 23rd, August 13th, August 27th, Sept. 3rd (3:00-5:00) Sept. 17th, Oct. 1st, Oct. 15th, and by appointment  
The Ward brothers made a name for themselves in Crisfield during the early 1930s for their wooden duck carvings.
After years of being shut down for renovations, the Ward brothers’ workshop is back open for public tours. Casey Goldsborough, executive director of the Crisfield Heritage Foundation, says it’s a great way to show off a unique piece of Crisfield’s heritage.
“We have people that actually remember the Ward Brothers and have personal stories about the Ward Brothers that are going to be presenting the Ward Brothers workshop,” Goldsborough said.
The Ward brothers’ duck carvings have been on public display at the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury and at the Crisfield Heritage Foundation for years, but this gives an inside look at where Lem and Steve carved and painted their decoys.
“This is the inspiration that the Ward Brothers had every day, they grew up in the down neck, they grew up in the marshland.  They saw the birds that they carved every day of life and they wanted to present it to the world,” Goldsborough said.