Vollis Simpson
Metalworks
Wilson, North Carolina, USA
Vollis Simpson (1919–2013) developed an early interest in machinery while helping his father move houses on large rollers. While stationed in the South Pacific during World War II, Simpson built his first windmill out of B-29 bomber parts and used it to power a washing machine. He returned to North Carolina and ran a machinery repair shop until his retirement, when he began constructing kinetic sculptures out of various machinery parts he had collected over the years. These sculptures resemble windmills or weather vanes, with the largest among them measuring almost forty feet tall. The “whirligigs,” as they were called, soon caught visitors’ attention and before long his family farm had become Vollis Simpson’s Whirligig Park, a top tourist attraction in the area.
In 2010 the city of Wilson, North Carolina, created a plan to restore Simpson’s creations and showcase them in a two-acre park. Simpson assisted with their relocation and restoration efforts until his death. Simpson’s work is included in several other collections as well, such as the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Watch the documentary Changes in the Wind about Simpson and Whirligig Park on PBS.
Isaiah owns several pieces of art from the original site, which he purchased when he met Simpson in 1988. These pieces were restored by the team at the Whirligig Park in 2025 and installed by PMG’s preservation team in May of that year. Vollis Simpson’s name appears in the orange windowsill in the front gallery.
Example:
Metal Bird
Location: Above the western passageway in the upper level outside.
