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About John Mack Walker
Reverend Dr. John Mack Walker, Jr. was an ordained Presbyterian minister who served as the senior pastor for the First Presbyterian Church of Roanoke Rapids (NC) from 1942 – 1980. He graduated from Davidson College as salutatorian in 1936.
Between 1943 and 1998 he carved 62 sculptures, 30 of which are now part of the collection of the Presbyterian Heritage Center. Entitled “The Gospel in Appalachian Wood Carvings,” this series presents Gospel stories in both their mystery and their matter-of-factness. Walker based many of the figures on real people he knew and carved them in 20th-century attire.
The other 33 carvings are housed with Walker’s family and friends or at various churches, colleges, and seminaries.
Inspiration
Walker’s early carvings were often based on etchings by Rembrandt. As his art progressed, he began composing original layouts, sometimes adapting an idea to a specific block of wood. The sculptures often reimagine Biblical figures in more contemporary settings: Jesus among the rhododendrons on an Appalachian peak; Matthew behind his desk in a county office building.
Obscure figures from the Gospels come alive, such as “Paul before Felix,” the haughty Roman Governor leaning back in his chair as Paul pleads his case, or “Mnason Remembers,” which is based on a brief reference in Acts to “Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple” with whom Paul stayed in Jerusalem.
From the Artist
“The sculptures are part of my attempt to think about some of the narratives from the Gospels. A great New Testament scholar, C. H. Dodds, has pointed out that these stories should be approached from two stances of matter-of-factness and mystery. This insight has been central in my attempt to carve these scenes. Since I am a native of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and for many years Montreat has been my second home, I am naturally drawn to the ruggedness of people who are part of the mountains. That love is obviously reflected in these carvings.”
See More Walker Carvings
- First Presbyterian Church of Roanoke Rapids (NC): Walker served as senior minister at the church from 1942 – 1980. He carved Supper at Emmaus c1963 as an inset for the church’s new sanctuary, which had burned in 1961.
- Davidson College (Davidson, NC): Davidson College Library is home to The Servant Christ (1969). The walnut carving was originally titled, Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet.
- Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, VA): Christ Teaching (1972) and The Calling of Andrew (1976)
- William Black Lodge (North Carolina Terrace, Montreat, NC): Celtic Cross (1982)
- Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA): Disciples at the Transfiguration (1978)
- Elkin Presbyterian Church (Elkin, NC): The Return of the Prodigal Son (1993)
- Black Mountain Presbyterian Church (Black Mountain, NC): A Child in Their Midst (1997)