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Permanent Display

Ralph Sandquist carvings find a home at Hazeltine Public Library

By John Whittaker 5 min read

BUSTI – Most area residents have never seen Ralph Sandquist's bird carvings.

They can do so now at the Hazeltine Public Library in Busti.

Nearly a decade after his first attempts at a public display, the bird carvings of Ralph Sandquist have found a home at the Hazeltine Public Library. Early in 2016, Sandquist approached the library and a number of other local organizations and for a number of reasons there never was an agreement reached and during the last years of his life his work saw limited exposure before Sandquist's death in 2024. Some of Sandquist's carvings were hosted by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute from August 2025 through March 2026.

"These birds were on display at RTPI early in 2026," said Katie Smith, Hazeltine Public Library director. "The staff there was most helpful and put me in touch with Ralph's son, Clark. We exchanged emails, made proposals and plans and the end result is a very gracious donation by Clark and his sister Sharon of 19 birds to the Hazeltine Public Library. An additional number of carvings will be on loan to the library for an extended period of time. "

After serving in the Army for two years during the Korean War, Sandquist was honorably discharged in May 1954. He then started his own business, Sandquist Signs, which he successfully ran for 35 years. While starting off painting trucks, water towers, and other signs, he was on the forefront of the migration to plastic thermoformed and backlit signs. He sold signs throughout western and central New York and Pennsylvania and created innovative manufacturing approaches to productively serve such a large market.

Sandquist also served in the fire service for over 50 years, rising to become fire chief of the Busti Fire Department, County 3rd Battalion Coordinator, County Medical Coordinator, and eventually Chautauqua County Fire Coordinator. He took a leadership role in the development of Emergency Medical Services in the county and created one of the first Hazardous Materials Emergency Response units in the country. He also developed methods for transporting patients via helicopter, creating rapid deployment flood control dikes, and patented an improved backboard and harnessing system. In 1990, Sandquist was elected to the Chautauqua County Legislature and served for two years.

After retirement, Sandquist began a more than 20-year career as a professional woodcarver, crafting hundreds of birds that he sold at art shows and craft festivals across the country. His works of art won numerous awards including top awards at the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition. Sandquist's collection includes thousands of birds, with a portion of them on display at the Hazeltine Library.

"During our email exchanges, Clark and I talked about his dad's earlier approach and display conditions," Smith said. "In one of his replies he wrote, 'My dad’s strong desire for the birds was that they be able to be viewed/enjoyed by future generations in a way that could also support the community of Busti that had been so important to him throughout his life. As such, his vision was for an exhibit that would be permanent, in a safe/secure, yet accessible space, and of a scale that would draw people to seek out the exhibit by coming to Busti rather than merely stumble into it."

One of Sandquist's trademarks was the inclusion of 'environmental accents - flowers, wood, bark, wire' in each piece. He worked primarily in tupelo, a wood from the gum tree family. The birds were carved and detailed with a wood burning pen before painting them with acrylics or oils. His preferred subjects were birds - game birds, songbirds or birds of prey.

During his career he was awarded First Place in the 1999 World Competition, Open Division Game Birds., second place in the Florida Wildlife Exposition. He was also recognized as Best of Show and Master Carver in numerous other shows.

The exhibit is open to the public, free of charge , during library hours from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The library is located at 891 Busti-Sugar Grove Road and can be reached at 716-487-1281. Large groups and those wanting special hours are encouraged to call ahead.

"I feel very confident the Hazeltine Public Library is meeting Ralph's wishes with our permanent display and the plans we have for promotion and exposure," Smith said. "The community has also realized what a great opportunity this is - the library board committed to this project, the town of Busti and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation awarded us the funds to construct a custom display cabinet. Kurt Sturzenbecker and his crew worked earlier this year to create and install this cabinet and give these birds a beautiful home. I truly believe we are preserving history and giving people the opportunity to experience some amazing works of art."

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