What is Folk Art? An Exhibit by Old York's 2007 Junior Curators
Who are the Junior Curators?
We are a group of 5 high school students from the Junior Docents program. We have been meeting weekly throughout the summer to prepare this online exhibit. We were interested in learning about Folk Art in anticipation for an exhibit that will open in 2008 in the new Remick Barn.
-Allison, Jessie, Katie, Lancy and Shelly.
Standing, left to right: Allison, Shelly, Jessie
Seated: Katie and Lancy
We have been discussing Folk Art this summer and we found out quickly that not too many people know about Folk Art, including ourselves.
We came up with a list of clues.
These words describe Folk Art.
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Not mass produced
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Made for the people by the people
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Made by an untrained person
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No perspective
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Out of proportion
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Represent local people and local scenes
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Abstract
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One of a kind
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Primitive
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Naïve
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Rustic
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Made of local materials
Now look at these objects and decide whether they are Folk Art . . . Or not! Be very careful, there are some tricky ones!
Click on each photo to get the answer and more information about each object.
Definitions of Folk Art
The one thing we found out this summer is that …
“Folk Art can be described, but cannot be defined.”
Shelly
“Folk Art is defined by differing opinions, it is not objective.”
Allison
“When defining Folk Art, there can be disagreement even among experts.”
Lancy
Tom Johnson, the Curator of Collections at The Museums of Old York, told us that you “develop an eye or a second sense for Folk Art” the more you look at it. Visitors to the museum this summer gave us the following description and comments. Each of us selected a favorite comment:
Katie’s favorite: “Folk Art is art that reflects the local culture and environment and is done by local artists.”
Lancy’s favorite: “Folk Art is art which is created by those who are not “professionally trained” And also “ Folk art is anything that people make. Art only becomes “great art” because someone in power has deemed it so.”
Shelly’s favorite: “Folk Art is art about sunsets, blueberries and folk music.”
Allison’s favorite: “Folk Art… express yourself!”
Jessie’s favorite: “Folk Art is art made by the common folk. Not professional accomplished artists but everyday people.”
We were impressed by our visitors’ knowledge of Folk Art.
What type of objects can be Folk Art?
From our visits to the different historical buildings and our other experiences this summer, we have concluded the following objects can be Folk Art:
Paintings
Samplers
Furniture
Signs
Tiles
Inkwells
Sculptures
Rugs
Bed Hangings
Household Items
Musical Instruments
These are a few examples of the objects that are Folk Art in our collections.
Can you think of other objects?
What’s next?
Would you like to learn more about Folk Art? Curator Tom Johnson and his exhibition team (which includes the Junior Curators!) are designing an exhibit that will open in the Gallery of the Remick Barn in 2008. The focus of the exhibit is, of course, Folk Art, with a particular focus on the artistic expression of the maker, rather than the history of the piece.
This exhibit will bring together paintings, furniture, textiles, sculptures, household items and even musical instruments. If you still have questions about Folk Art, or if you are just curious to see what Folk Art items we have in our collection, please visit us next year.
In the meantime, if you would like to leave us comments or check on our weekly activities as Junior Docents, please visit our blog at www.juniordocents.blogspot.com. Lists for this exhibit were compiled by Jessie with photography by Lancy.
Thank you for visiting our exhibit on Folk Art!