Vollis Simpson, a self-taught North Carolina artist renowned for his whirligigs, died on Friday at his home after complications from a heart valve replacement.  He was 94.  Simpson was known to scour junkyards for bits to assemble his quirky, wind-powered whirligigs. His pieces have been featured in numerous art museums and exhibitions across the country, including his 55-foot-tall, 45-foot-wide work Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, on permanent display at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.  A park in his honor, the Wilson Whirligig Park, will be opening in the fall in the city of Wilson, N.C.
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