News
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.
Folk Art
Art
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.
Art
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.
Art
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.
Art
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.
News
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.
Art
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.
Art
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.
Art
By Turns Offensive and Transgressive: Philadelphia's Folk Art Mummers Parade
PHILADELPHIA — 2016 has not been a good year for the annual New Year’s Day Mummers Parade.
Books
The Mysterious Folk Art of America's Secret Societies
Almost every US town has one: that mysterious Masonic lodge with its borrowed Egyptian or Greek details, arcane symbols, and windows and doors that rarely open.
Art
The 19th-Century Affordable Artworks That Were the Original Carnival Game Prizes
MEMPHIS — Chalkware was one of the earliest affordable arts available to a large population in the United States.
Art
The Intricate Designs of an 18th-Century Love Token
Today, as the art of handwritten notes gradually fades, one common way to court someone is to slide into his or her DMs.