With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
John Gregory Wiggins
Sculpture
1893 – 1956
- Biography/Description of Work
Wiggins’ father died when he was a child, and his mother obtained a position running a school in Pomfret. He attended the private college-preparatory Pomfret School, and then Harvard College. After college, Wiggins joined the faculty at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. For four years from 1912-1916, he taught Latin, Greek, and German, and coached crew. During World War I, Wiggins joined the American Field Service (as an alternative to military service) and drove an ambulance in France. After the war, he began a full-time career as a wood carver and lived in Pomfret. He carved ornamental wood pieces for churches, private schools and colleges including St. Paul’s, Pomfret, and Trinity College, and for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, as well as for private homes. In the 1930s he was living with his mother and sister Elizabeth.
- Sources view
- UConn artists database
- Associated Resource(s)