A painting of sprawling farm land with large hills off in the distance. At the front a red farmhouse and barn sit next to the fields.

A brown clay jug that has been partially glazed on the top. The white glaze is dripping down the side, and the artist has inscribed a few illegible words into the side of the clay.

Three children sit in a row. The two girls wear similar dresses, one in blue and one in pink, while the boy is dressed in all black

A carousel horse with a gold mane and a blue saddle

All Exhibitions

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection

May 22, 2021 — Aug 28, 2021

PAST EXHIBITION

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection tells the unfolding story of America, from its inception to the present, through the work of American folk artists.

Folk artists, sometimes referred to as self-taught artists, are individuals whose talents emerged from personal experience rather than formal training. Their creations are beautiful, diverse, truthful, often utilitarian, and rooted in their individual heritage or community.

The exhibition features over 80 folk art objects, from paintings and pottery, to quilts, needlework, and sculpture. These fascinating artworks span the entirety of our nation’s history, offering firsthand testimony to the people, places, and events of our culture. The exhibition reveals both the diversity and similarity of the American experience across time and place. It reinforces how many of our society’s current issues — immigration, political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and loss of personal liberties — have been concerns in the past. Visitors will see the vital role that folk art plays as material evidence of American history. The artworks broaden our understanding of the United States, expanding upon and personalizing our national narrative. It gives voice to individuals outside the social mainstream. Many of the works present the perspectives of marginalized groups, such as enslaved people, immigrants, and people with disabilities.

The works are organized into four sections — Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers — that respond to such themes as nationhood, freedom, community, imagination, opportunity, and legacy.

The exhibition is organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, with support provided by Art Bridges.

Originally curated for installation at the American Folk Art Museum, February 11, 2020 — January 3, 2021, by Stacy C. Hollander, Independent Curator. Tour coordinated by Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art, the American Folk Art Museum.