Artist

Stephan W. Polaha

born Cleveland, OH 1891-died Reading, PA 1977
Also known as
  • Stephan Polaha
  • Steven Polaha
  • Stephen Polaha
Born
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died
Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationalities
  • American
Biography

Stephan W. Polaha was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and later moved to Pennsylvania. He eventually settled in Reading, where he worked various manual labor jobs and lived with his sister, Mary. They were dog lovers and avid collectors of books and other treasures. Polaha found inspiration for his whimsical carvings throughout their home and often included everyday objects in his carvings, most notably pieces from Mary's collection of dolls and doll parts.

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.38.43R-V - SAAM-2016.38.43R-V_2 - 126225
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection
July 1, 2022–March 26, 2023
Smithsonian American Art Museum
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection traces the rise of self-taught artists in the twentieth century and examines how, despite wide-ranging societal, racial, and gender-based obstacles, their creativity and bold self-definition became major forces in American art. The exhibition features recent gifts to the museum from two generations of collectors, Margaret Z. Robson and Douglas O. Robson.

Related Books

Cover for the catalogue "We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection"
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection
We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection traces the rise of self-taught artists in the twentieth century and examines how, despite wide-ranging societal, racial, and gender-based obstacles, their creativity and bold self-definition became major forces in American art. The exhibition features recent gifts to the museum from two generations of collectors, Margaret Z. Robson and her son Douglas O. Robson, and will be on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum July 1, 2022 through March 26, 2023.