Oral history interview with John Jensen

Titles: Oral history interview with John Jensen (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: John Jensen was born November 21, 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a preeminent carver of realistic working and decorative decoys. He was self trained and had carved full-time since 1983. He generally carved fish, but also did fish spears, ducks, mermaids, turtles and frogs. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: October 16, 1998 (audio interview): Childhood; how he became interested in making decoys; step by step process to make decoys; how he adds movement and weight; painting process, eyes, materials, and tools. His experiences with dealers and buyers; the length of time to complete a project; the cost of pieces; what determines price. His experiences in teaching his craft to others. June 3, 1999 (video interview): Jensen demonstrates his craft. COMMENTS ON THE AUDIO INTERVIEW: This is a preliminary interview before the video shoot. COMMENTS ON THE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Jensen demonstrates how he carves and assembles his decoys. Shots of finished projects and of the town of Frazee are also included.

Dates

• 10/16/1998 - 06/03/1999 (Audio interview conducted 10/16/1998 and video interview 6/3/1999.) (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Jensen, John
• interviewer: Scher, Adam E.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 23
• Accession Number: AV2000.124.1
• Accession Number: AV2001.131

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 24 pages transcript 1.5 hours videocassette

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: moving images
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 01:11:16 running time

Subjects

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