Alex Yerks

Alex Yerks is a self-taught traditional wood carver focused on what he calls items of “kitchenalia” or “kitchen sloyd.”

His wide range of expertise in making traditional craft objects includes hewn bowls, spoons & utensils, cups, shrink pots, wooden sculptures, forging his own carving tools, and helping other tool makers design long-lost tools – some that no longer exist. He has been making and teaching for over 10 years, and has become a leading expert on all things wooden cup or kuksa – all made with axe and knife, which is his main focus. 

He has traveled the world helping spread awareness about his philosophy in craft as well as as the meditative aspects of carving that he calls “Spoon Medicine.” With this, he has helped start a new type of wood culture that is growing larger everyday. 

Alex has traveled to teach and give talks as well as National radio appearances internationally.  He has had a different approach to helping gain awareness to this craft using unconventional ways such as making his own films, radio and his multimedia art on stage to give craft a new fresh view. In New Zealand at ReKindle in Christchurch, he hosted workshops to teach other teachers – a way to plant seeds of new craft. Traveled to collaborate in Holland to make klompen, spent a lot of time in the UK hosting classes in London at Barn The Spoon’s Greenwood Guild, has hosted courses in Wales, has taught four times at Spoonfest UK, taught knife forging classes at the Spoon Hoolie in Scotland, has traveled twice as a special guest of honor at Australia’s Spoon Jam Festival. He teaches regularly in the northeast US and Midwest at various museums and folk schools. Alex also helps plan the world’s first spoon carving festival – The Spoon Gathering in Milan, Minnesota, which has gone on to inspire all of the other spoon festivals in the world.