EDITOR'S
COLUMN
ROSEMARY GABRIEL
FOLK ART Rosemary Gabriel Editor and Publisher Jeffrey Kibler, The Magazine Group,Inc. Design Tanya Heinrich Production Editor Benjamin J. Boyington Copy Editor Marilyn Brechner Advertising Manager Craftsmen Litho Printers MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART
eptember marks an exciting month for the Museum as we prepare for the Opening Night Benefit Preview of the Fall Antiques Show and the premiere of"Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition," a major traveling exhibition that highlights the folk art of Norway and Norwegian-Americans. Stacy C. Hollander's essay, starting on page 56, outlines the work of the exhibition's guest curator, Dr. Marion J. Nelson, and gives us some insight into his vision. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from September 16, 1995, through January 7, 1996. It will then travel to Minnesota, North Dakota, and Seattle, before moving on to the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. Also in this issue are two essays that again demonstrate the Museum's commitment to diversity in the field. Gerard Wertkin has written "In Pursuit of Harmony: The Alice M. Kaplan Collection" as a tribute to an exceptional woman. Mrs. Kaplan, who died on May 14, 1995, at the age of ninety-one, was a staunch patron of the arts. Kaplan's intuition and discerning eye were backed up with solid art scholarship, which enabled her to build a magnificent art collection during her lifetime. Wertkin points out that although only a small portion of the collection was in the field of folk art, that portion was exquisite and not at all ancillary. See page 40 for his warm account of their professional association and friendship. Good friends should be appre- YOU LISTEN TO ME; Aaron Birnbaum; Brooklyn; 1993; acrylic ciated and old friends cherished, and varnish on matt board; 12 x 15". K.S. Art, New York, N.Y. but good old friends should be honored. That's just what Anne Mai does in "A Little Pepper, a Little Salt," starting on page 48. Mai applauds the spirit, tenacity, and work of her friend, selftaught artist Aaron Birnbaum. Mai met Birnbaum in 1988, when he was ninetythree years old and working almost daily on his art. Through a series of interviews and a study of most of his paintings, Mai has gained an understanding of his life and art, and in her essay she illustrates for us how he translates his childhood memories of Eastern Europe and his feelings about his adult life in the United States into vivid, sometimes biting, but often humorous, paintings. Birnbaum celebrated his one hundredth birthday in July of this year and looks forward to creating more art and celebrating his one hundred and first. After spending the last fifteen years at Pier 92, Sanford L. Smith's Fall Antiques Show is moving back to the Park Avenue Armory, where it made its debut in 1979. The Museum has held an Opening Night Benefit Preview of this important show each year since the beginning, and I'm sure many of you have attended them all. Some of you may remember when Martha Stewart(not yet a household word)catered the very first opening and, to almost everyone's surprise (and some's chagrin), decorated the hall with bales of hay and live chickens. Word has it that we can expect a few surprises this year too. For more information on the Opening Night Benefit Preview, see our special Fall Antiques Show Section, starting on page 17.
aAg-'47 e FALL 1995 FOLK ART
Administration Gerard C. Wertkin Director Riccardo Salmona Deputy Director Joan M. Walsh Controller Mary Linda Zonana Director ofAdministration Helene J. Ashner Assistant to the Director Jeffrey Grand Senior Accountant Christopher Giuliano Accountant Carlos E. Ubarri Mailroom and Reception Collections & Exhibitions Stacy C. Hollander Curator Ann-Marie Reilly Registrar Judith Gluck Steinberg Assistant Registrar/ Coordinator, Traveling Exhibitions Pamela Brown Gallery Manager Mary-Beth Shine Weekend Gallery Manager Gina Bianco Consulting Conservator Elizabeth V. Warren Consulting Curator Howard Lanser Consulting Exhibition Designer Kenneth R. Bing Security Departments Beth Bergin Membership Director Marie S. DiManno Director ofMuseum Shops Susan Flamm Public Relations Director Alice J. Hoffman Director ofLicensing Valerie K. Longwood Director ofDevelopment Janey Fire Photographic Services Chris Cappiello Membership Associate Maryann Warakomski Assistant Director ofLicensing Jennifer A. Waters Development Associate Claudia Andrade Manager ofInformation Systems, Retail Operations Catherine Barreto Membership Assistant Edith C. Wise Consulting Librarian Eugene P. Sheehy Volunteer Librarian Rita Keckeissen Volunteer Librarian Katya Ullmann Library Assistant Programs Lee Kogan Director, Folk Art Institute/Senior Research Fellow Barbara W.Cate Educational Consultant Dr. Marilynn Karp Director, New York University Master's and Ph.D. Program in Folk Art Studies Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman Coordinator, New York University Program Arlene Hochman Coordinator, Docent Programs Lynn Steuer Coordinator, Outreach Programs Museum Shop Staff Managers: Dorothy Gargiulo, Caroline Hohenrath, Rita Pollitt, Marion Whitley; Mail Order: Beverly McCarthy;Security: Bienvenido Medina; Volunteers: Marie Anderson, Helen Barer, Olive Bates, Mary Campbell,Sally Frank, Jennifer Gerber, Millie Gladstone, Elli Gordon, Edith Gusoff, Ann Hannon, Bernice Hoffer, Elizabeth Howe, Joan Langston, Annette Levande, Arleen Luden, Katie McAuliffe, Nancy Mayer, Theresa Naglack, Pat Pancer, Marie Peluso, Judy Rich, Frances Rojack, Phyllis Selnick, Myra Shaskan, Lola Silvergleid, Maxine Spiegel, Mary Wamsley Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops 62 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10112-1507 212/247-5611 Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th) New York, NY 10023-6214 212/496-2966