Lewis may have operated on, or even outside of, the fringes of the art world, but the McMichael Canadian Art Collection believes she deserves a place within its halls.
Tag: folk art
Folk Artist and Abolitionist Sheldon Peck to Be Honored with Historic Marker
A roadside marker in Jordan, New York, will commemorate the former home of 19th-century folk artist and abolitionist Sheldon Peck.
The Vivid Violence and Divine Healing of Ex-Voto Paintings
The ex-voto painting is a Catholic folk art tradition depicting individual misfortunes that were mollified by divine intervention.
The Skeletal Welsh Horse You Must Beat in a Battle of Rhymes
In the Welsh folkloric tradition of Mari Lwyd, a horse skull visits your home around Christmas, and you must best it in poetry or allow it inside.
Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquires Nearly 100 Works by Self-Taught Artists
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection is the institution’s largest acquisition of its kind in two decades.
Revisiting America’s Dead in Posthumous Portraits from the 19th Century
The 19th century saw the rise of the posthumous portrait when, through photographs and paintings, people preserved the faces of departed loved ones.
Choosing Between a Folk Artist’s Story and His Work
Ronald Lockett believed in magic. So said sculptor Kevin Sampson during a talk in July at the American Folk Art Museum.
The Monumental Totem Poles Built by a Retired Oklahoma Art Teacher
FOYIL, Okla. — In 1937, art teacher Ed Galloway began his retirement project: a 90-foot-tall totem pole rising from the back of a big blue turtle.
Revisiting the First American Folk Art Museum, Founded by a Modernist Sculptor
The rough finishes and loose poses of Elie Nadelman’s sculptures of circus performers, pianists, and dancers were influenced by his incredible collection of folk art.
Smithsonian Doubles Its Bill Traylor Holdings Ahead of 2018 Retrospective
Bill Traylor’s drawings and paintings were not recognized by the art world until decades after his death in 1949.
Researchers Unroll a Rare 19th-Century Painted Panorama
One of the longest paintings ever created is an 1848 depiction of a “whaling voyage ’round the world” that stretches 1,275 feet — roughly the length of 14 blue whales, according to its holder, the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Folk Art Relics from the Golden Age of America’s Secret Societies
A strange visual language developed from the 18th to the 20th century behind the closed doors of American secret societies.