Nellie Mae Rowe (1900-1982) was born in Starr's Mill, Fayette County, Georgia. She married Ben Wheat (1894-1936) in 1916 and moved to Vinings, Georgia, where she worked as a domestic employee. Following Ben Wheat's death, Rowe remarried to Henry "Buddy" Rowe (1875-1948). The couple built a house at 2041 Paces Ferry Road in Vinings, which became known as Nellie Mae Rowe's "Playhouse." After retiring in 1960, Nellie began creating drawings and sculptures which she placed in the backyard. Her outdoor sculptures included large handmade dolls, small pots, and garlands made from found household materials, such as egg cartons and chewing gum. Rowe continuously added to and transformed the arrangement of objects, and by the 1970s her Playhouse became a local attraction.

Rowe's sculptures and drawings were exhibited in 1976 at the Atlanta Historical Society's show, "Missing Pieces: Georgia Folk Art 1770-1976." Rowe's first solo exhibition in 1978 was held at the Alexander Gallery, at 442 East Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta, Georgia. Rowe began exhibiting at galleries in New York City and received national recognition as a key figure in the Southeastern folk arts movement of the 1980s. Several of her works were collected by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, along with the American Folk Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Rowe's Playhouse was demolished after her death and an historical marker was erected on the former site in 2024.