Skip to main content

Header Navigation

Artists

Neal Thomas

He // Him // His

Basket Maker

Wendell, NC

Neal, a Black man with gray facial hair, wears a ball cap and brown coveralls over a light shirt. He is standing in a covered outdoor space with tables displaying various produce and wares in the background. Buildings and cars are also visible outside of the space. Beside Neal are two tall stacks of wood, with baskets placed on top of them.

Photo by Bob Karp.

“I say to young folks these days, they need to learn how to do something like this old craft, because ain't many people know how to do this stuff...I think it would be good if young people would take hold and try to learn to do something with their hands. After they make it, they get joy from it. Ever since I’ve been making the baskets, I get joy out of it, because it’s fluent to me to try to do this.”

Neal Thomas was born on April 22, 1940, in Raeford, NC. While working in the timber industry in the late 1950s, Thomas met an elder African American woodworker named Herman Holder, who shared with him the art and skill of making split white oak baskets.

At the age of 85, Thomas still can “drop trees on a dime” and fashion baskets with the dexterity and strength of a 20-year-old. He is especially known in North Carolina, having been interviewed by various media outlets and film producers.

Thomas has demonstrated at the North Carolina Museum of History on multiple occasions since the 1990s. He is an anchor of the African American Cultural Celebration at the Museum, the largest indoor event of its kind in the United States since 2000. He has been an anchor presenter in the Village of Yesteryear (1999-2023) at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. In 2023, he received the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award. He still farms in Johnston County, NC, and is always “looking for some good white oak to work with” throughout the state. Thomas is not only a North Carolina icon; he is also a national treasure.

Donor -The Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft are supported by the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.

This artist page was last updated on: 05.21.2025

Craft
A Black man wearing a straw hat, navy pants, and blue shoes holds up a large rectangular basket with the bottom facing toward the viewer. A metal folding chair is placed in front of him, and an assortment of baskets are placed on the grass around him. Behind him, a building with a white door and a tractor are visible.

Baskets by Neal Thomas, 2008. Bushel and white oak, dimensions variable. Neal Thomas's farm in Johnston County, NC.

Photo by Earl L. Ijames.

A Black man wearing a straw hat, a beige shirt, and navy pants holds up two large round baskets. A metal folding chair, an assortment of baskets, and a wooden bench for carving are visible in front of him. Behind him, a building with a white door and a tractor are visible.

Baskets by Neal Thomas, 2022. White oak umbrella, dimensions variable. Neal Thomas's farm in Johnston County, NC.

Photo by Earl L. Ijames.

A Black man wearing a straw hat, a beige shirt, navy pants, and blue shoes holds up two large round baskets. An assortment of large baskets is placed on the grass around him, as well as various tools for wood carving. He stands in front of a building with two windows and a door that is ajar. Beside the building is a tractor.

Two bassinets by Neal Thomas, 2020. White oak, dimensions variable. Neal Thomas's farm in Johnston County, NC.

Photo by Earl L. Ijames.