Folk Art (Summer 2002)

MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

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Joseph Garlock

Untitled (Beach Scene), 1952, paint on canvas, 28 1/2" x 28 3

(1884-1980)

riccomaresca

gallery

529 west 20th street 3rd floor new york city 10011 212.627.4819 riccomaresca.com

STEVE MILLER • AMERICAN FOLK ART •

WANTED AMERICAN FOLK ART

17 East 96th Street, New York, New York 10128 348-5219, Fax:(212)427-4278, E-mail: sharksm@earthlink.net(212) Telephone: Gallery hours are from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm,Tuesday through Saturday.

Other hours are available by appointment.

Andrew Flamm & Michelle Hauser

ODD FELLOWS ANTIQUES

African American Quilt. Framed improvisational block, pieced cotton. Mid -20th Century. 62"x 75" Georgia.

Route 41 Mount Vernon, Maine •(207) 293-3569 P.O. Box 145, Mount Vernon, ME 04352

FURNITURE

ART

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xceptionally fine and rare tiger maple tip top candlestand, with oval top with inset bead, above a spiral turned and pineapple carved column above arched spider legs with crosshatch carving and spurred details, ending in turned ball feet with original brass cup casters.

In a remarkable state of preservation, with rich deep color and warm patination.

Attributed to Stephen Badlam, Dorcester, Mass., circa 1800.

29%- high, 163/4"wide, 21Yr long.

See American Antiquesfrom the Israel Sack Collection, Highland House, Volume III, plate 3231, page 712, and Volume X, plate 4886, page 1752, for two related stands attributed to Stephen Badlam. See also Arts of the Federal Period; 1785-1825, Heritage Plantation of Sandwich, Plate 67, page 71, for a virtually identical stand, similarly attributed, in the collection of the Albany Institute of Art.

homas Schwenke Inc 1 .

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American Federal Furniture

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Celebrating our 32nd year of outstanding dedicated service as the country's leading dealer in American Federal Furniture.

50 Main Street North, Woodbury,CT 06798 Tel.(203)266-0303 Fax (203)266-0707 www.schwenke.com

WALTERS BENISEK ART S. ANTIQUES ONE AMBER LANE • NORTHAMPTON • MASSACHUSETTS • 01060 • • (4 1 3) 5 86 • 3 90 9 • • DON WALTERS • MARY BENISEK

A MASTERPIECE MINIATURE PORTRAIT

BY JUSTUS DALEE "BABY WITH TIN RATTLE" NEW YORK STATE, CIRCA 1840 WATERCOLOR AND GRAPHITE ON PAPER; 31/4" X 3 3/4"

FOLK ART VOLUME 27, NUMBER 2/ SUMMER 2002

FEATURES

AMERICAN ANTHEM: MASTERWORKS FROM THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM/

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34

TWO PERSPECTIVES Stacy C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson JACOB ICASS: PAINTED SAWS AND DRAWINGS IN THE AMERICAN FOLK ART

Cover: Detail of MISS FRANCES A. MOTLEY/attributed to John S. Blunt! probably Maine, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire/1830-1833loll on canvas/ /t"/Anterican Folk Art Museum, 354i x 29, promised gift ofBarbara and David Krashes, P7.1999.1 Folk Art is published four times a year by the American Folk Art Museum.

The museum's mailing address is 1414 Avenue of the Americas, New York,NY 10019-2514, Tel. 212/977-7170, Fax 212/977-8134. Prior to Fall 1992, Volume 17, Number 3,Folk Art was published as The Clarion. Annual subscription rate for members is included in membership dues.

Copies are mailed to all members. Single copy $6.00. Published and copyright 2002 by the American Folk Art Museum,45 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019. The cover and contents of Folk Art are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written consent Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the American Folk Art Museum. Unsolicited manuscripts or photographs should be accompanied by return postage. Folk Art assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of such materials. Change of address: Please send both old and new addresses to the museum's mailing address at 1414 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-2514, and allow five weeks for change. Advertising: Folk Art endeavors to accept advertisements only from advertisers whose reputation is recognized in the trade, but despite the care with which the advertising department screens photographs and texts submitted by its advertisers, it cannot guarantee the unquestionable authenticity of objects or quality of services advertised in its pages or offered for sale by its advertisers, nor can it accept responsibility for misunderstandings that may arise from the purchase or sale of objects or services advertised in its pages.

The museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation offolk art and ills a violation of its principles to be involved in or to appear to be involved in the sale of works of art. For this reason, the museum will not knowingly accept advertisements for Folk Art that illustrate or describe objects that have been exhibited at the museum within one year of placing an advertisement

MUSEUM'S COLLECTION Lee Kogan

46

GENEALOGICAL ICONOGRAPHY AND THE NEW ENGLAND FAMILY D. Brenton Simons

52

DEP

AR

T

MEN

TS

EDITOR'S COLUMN

6

DIRECTOR'S LETTER

13

MINIATURES

18

MUSEUM HOURS AND ADMISSIONS

59

MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS PROGRAM

60

TRUSTEES/DONORS

62

BOOKS OF INTEREST

68

SUMMER PROGRAMS

69

MUSEUM NEWS

70

TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS

73

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

SO

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 5

EDITOR'S

ROSEMARY

AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

COLUMN

GABRIEL

ummer is here, and we are preparing to install "American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum." This beautiful and long-awaited exhibition of approximately two hundred objects includes major new acquisitions donated to the museum in honor of the opening of our new building."American Anthem" will be on view from July 11, 2002, to January 5, 2003, thus rounding out our inaugural year. The exhibition's co-curators, Stacy C. Hollander and Brook Davis Anderson, offer"Two Perspectives" on this stunning collection, starting on page 34.

About a week after "Anthem" opens at 53rd Street,"Painted Saws: Jacob Kass," will begin its run at the museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Two Lincoln Square. On view through December 1, the exhibition features more than 75 works by the retired sign and truck painter, including eight painted saws and four drawings from the museum's collection. In her essay starting on page 46, Lee Kogan,the exhibition's curator, examines Kass's techniques and vocabulary of form,focusing on the works in the museum's collection.

Pushcarts, reproduced on pages 48 and 49,is a painting of extraordinary vitality and detail. Painted in 1983, it depicts a bustling composite of Brooklyn and Manhattan street scenes, derived from Kass's memories of the 1940s and 1950s.

When the New England Historic Genealogical Society introduced its new book, The Art ofFamily,in March of this SUBWAY / Jacob Kass / 1988/ Magna acrylic and oil on circular saw / 18" diameter / collection of Michael and Marilyn year, Assistant Executive Di- Mennello, Winter Park, Florida rector D. Brenton Simons, who is also the book's co-editor, agreed to write an essay for Folk Art on this intriguing subject. In "Genealogical Iconography and the New England Family," starting on page 52, Simons discusses the creation of genealogical art and gives us a look at some charming examples of the convergence between folk art and family history. Information about ordering the book is also included.

On the heels of opening our new building, mounting the inaugural exhibitions, and getting settled in, we took on the task of presenting, for the first time, The American Antiques Show—a four-day event to benefit the museum's exhibition and educational programs. Around the same time, the museum organized the gala Opening Night Benefit Preview for the Outsider Art Fair and the 10th annual Uncommon Artists Symposium; sponsored many lectures, tours, panel discussions, concerts, and family workshops; and took a group of intrepid travelers to Cuba. See Museum News for highlights of some these outstanding programs and a look at an upcoming tribute to the memory of those lost on September 11 and to the bravery of those who survived.

Until our fall issue, have a lovely, warm,and peaceful summer.

S

czA7 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

PUBLICATIONS/FOLK ART Rosemary Gabriel Director ofPublications/Editor and Publisher Tanya Heinrich Exhibition Catalog and Book Editor Katharine Clark Associate Editor Ryan T. Peters Production Editor Benjamin J. Boyington Copy Editor Jeffrey Kibler, The Magazine Group,Inc. Design Eleanor Garlow Advertising Sales Craftsmen Litho Printers Administration Gerard C. Werticin Director Susan Conlon Assistant to the Director Riccardo Salmona Deputy Director Jane A. McIntosh Assistant Director ofthe Capital Campaign Linda Dunne ChiefAdministrative Officer Robin A. Schlinger ChiefFinancial Officer Irene Kreny Accountant Madhukar Balsam Assistant Controller Robert J. Saracena Director ofFacilities George Y. Wang Director ofInformation Technology Wendy Barbee Manager of Visitor Services Anthony Crawford Assistant Manager of Visitor Services Michelle Sabatiele Visitor Services Assistant Jeaninne Walz Visitor Services Representative Damon Anderson Visitor Services Representative Dave Charles Visitor Services Representative Daniel Rodriguez Office Services Coordinator Ashley Santos Mailroom Assistant Beverly McCarthy Mail Order/Reception Katya Ullman Administrative Assistant/Reception Collections & Exhibitions Stacy C. Hollander Senior Curator and Director ofExhibitions Brooke Davis Anderson Director and Curator of The Contemporary Center Celene Ryan Curatorial Assistant Ann-Marie Reilly ChiefRegistrar and Director ofExhibition Production Judith Gluck Steinberg Director of Traveling Exhibitions Elizabeth V. Warren Consulting Curator Education Diana Schlesinger Director ofEducation Rebecca Hayes Manager ofSchool and Docent Programs Lee Kogan Director, Folk Art Institute/Curator ofSpecial Projects for The Contemporary Center Laura Tilden Education Assistant Departments Cheryl Aldridge Director ofDevelopment Diana DeJesus-Medina Director of Corporate Development Gina Talocco Development Associate Beth Bergin Membership Director Suzannah Kellner Membership Associate Lauren Potters Membership Associate Danelsi De La Cruz Membership Assistant Wendy Barreto Membership Clerk Susan Flamm Public Relations Director Monique A. Brizz-Walker Director ofSpecial Events Katie Hush Special Events Coordinator Alice J. Hoffman Director ofLicensing/Executive Director of The American Antiques Show Marie S. DiManno Director ofMuseum Shops Richard Ho Manager ofInformation Systems, Retail Operations Janey Fire Director ofPhotographic Services James Mitchell Librarian Eugene P. Sheehy Volunteer Librarian Rita Keckeissen Volunteer Librarian Jane Lattes Director of Volunteer Services Eva and Morris Feld Gallery Staff Dale Gregory Gallery Director Misty Das Assistant Gallery Director Ursula Morillo Weekend Gallery Manager Kenneth R. Bing Security Bienvenido Medina Security Treenia Thompson Security Museum Shops Staff Managers: Dorothy Gargiulo, Louise B. Sheets, Marion Whitley; Book Buyer: Evelyn R. Gurney; Staff: Thomas James, Michael Kuh; Volunteers: Angela Clair, Millie Gladstone, Elayne Home,Judy Kenyon, Arlene Luden, Nancy Mayer,Judy Rich, Frances Rojack, Phyllis Selnick American Folk Art Museum Book and Gift Shops 45 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019 212/265-1040, ext. 124 Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets) New York, NY 10023 212/595-9533, ext. 26 Malling Address American Folk Art Museum 1414 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-2514 212/977-7170, Fax 212/977-8134, http://www.folkartmuseum.org info@folkartmuseum.org

ALLAN KATZ Americana

"The Amazing Cane of John C. Klingbeil" Carved and polychromed painted wood.

Signed and Dated, "Klingbeil 1854" Columbia, PA, L 363/4"

Allan & Penny Katz By Appointment 25 Old Still Road Woodbridge, CT 06525 Tel. (203) 393-9356

HILL GALLERY

Portrait Head Glazed Terra-cotta C. 1900, H. 8 1/2", Ohio Origin Illustrated: 20th Century Folk Art and Artists Herbert Hemphill Jr., Julia Weissman American Folk Sculpture, Robert Bishop

407 West Brown Street Birmingham Michigan 48009

248.540.9288

Titled on verso Chicken Run, c. 1939 -42, mixed media on cardboard, 11 1 /4 inches by 8 1 /4 inches

Bill Traylor

FLEISHER OLLMAN GALLERY

Gift from Charles Shannon to Paul Cadmus fleisher-ollmangallery.corn

211 S. 17th Street Philadelphia 1 9 1 0 3 (215) 545.7562 (Fax) 545. 6140

IN Eddie Arning

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IN Julio Garcia MI Wilbert Griffith 0 Harry Lieberman III Dwight Mackintosh • Alex Maldonado III Howard Ortman • N John Ratto 0 A.G. Rizzoli N Jon Serl II Barry Simons II Donald Walker II Ned Young III and others artists IIII

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Textiles

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Memory Jugs

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Carvings and Sculpture III Recycled Face Jugs

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Furniture

II

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Tintypes N more

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and now a web site: www.cartesgallery.com THE

AMES GALLERY laILD •Bonnie Grossman, Director III 2661 Cedar St., Berkeley, CA 94708 MI Tel 510/845-4949 II Fax 510/845-6219 • amesgal@attbi.com 111

Bull Dager / ca.1983 / 42"x 26 1/2"

paint on tin

barbara

archer gallery 1123 zonolite rd. suite 27• atlanta, ga 30306 p - 404.815 1545 f - 404 815.1544 email - barbaraarcher@mindspring.com www.barbaraarcher.com

A portrait of Rollin Richmond of Barnard, Vermont, attributed to Amanda Powers, February 1831 / Oil on poplar panel / 28I/2"x 19'/8"

DAVID WHEATCROFT Antiques 220 East Main Street, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581 (508) 366-1723

DIRECTOR'S

LETTER

GERARD C. WERTKIN

building. To a large press corps that followed them, Mrs. Bush and ix months after the opening of our new building, feature stoMrs. Pataki expressed the greatest delight with the new building and its conexhibitions and architecture, its museum, the ries about inaugural exhibitions. Their purpose, aside from the personal enjoytinue to be a staple of the international press. Just recently, ment that comes with a visit to the museum, was to encourage tourism for example,illustrated cover stories on the museum have in New York City. I hope many Americans will be motivated by Mrs. appeared in World Architecture and The Architectural Bush's example to come to New York and sample its diverse cultural Review, both published in London,and in Milan's Abitare offerings, including the American Folk Art Museum. and Domus. But this is only the tip of the iceberg; the An expanded museum operation implies the need for a substantially museum has been the subject of hundreds of admiring stories throughaugmented professional staff. I am pleased to welcome Linda Dunne to out the country and beyond its borders in virtually every medium, the museum, as chief administrative officer, and Robin A. Schlinger, as including radio, television, and the internet. chief financial officer. Dunne, who joined the staff of Cooper-Hewitt I owe the warmest debt of gratitude to Susan Flamm,the museum's here in New York in 1983,served that institution in several administragifted public relations director, for managing an exceptionally successand posts, including assistant director for administration, acting directive dedication, energy, creative with program ful communications tor, and most recently as deputy director. She previously was employed drive. Her many contributions to the life of the institution constitute as museum administrator at the Cranbrook Academy Art Museum in one of its greatest strengths, a fact that I acknowledge with respect and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She will work closely with me,Deputy admiration.

Director Riccardo Salmona, and the Board of Trustees on a variety of The attention that our new home is receiving is not surprising given management issues. Schlinger, also a former member of the staff at its truly outstanding design. Earlier this year, the Municipal Arts SociCooper-Hewitt, served as financial management officer of that instituety awarded its New York City Masterworks Award for the Best New tion. Her career in museum finances began in 1991 as assistant conBuilding to the museum's architects, Tod Williams Billie Tsien and troller of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. As the museum faces Associates. I am also proud that five of the architects' drawings of the the challenges of its bright future, the additional strengths brought to its building have entered the permanent collection of Cooper-Hewitt, management team by these new colleagues will be of great importance.

National Design Museum,Smithsonian Institution, which gave early look forward to the pleasure of working with them both.

I in it including by design building's the of excellence recognition to the I wish members and friends a wonderful summer season and invite its National Design Triennial in 2000. you to include a visit to the American Folk Art Museum in your vacaFor me,as director of the American Folk Art Museum,the most tion plans. A warm welcome awaits you, together with the opportunity meaningful affirmation of the success of our efforts has come from the to see, experience, and be inspired by the richness and diversity of members of the museum, whose letters of appreciation for the new American folk art. * building, the opening exhibitions, and the greatly expanded menu of educational opportunities signify a gratifying vote of confidence. Many members are new to the institution; our membership rolls have jumped a full 50 percent since the opening on December 11. My deepest thanks go to all members,those who recently entered our museum family and those stalwarts who have been with us for many years.

Without the support of its members,the museum could not have reached this wonderful moment in its history.

A highlight of working in the new building is the ease with which members of the staff and I can greet and mingle with visitors. One or more of us frequently may be found walking through the building with visitors, although our knowledgeable corps of docents more often has that pleasure. As I noted in my last column, people from all walks of life have come to the museum,including many persons prominent in American public life. One of the most exciting visits was from Laura Bush,the First Lady of the United States, who was joined by Libby Pataki, the State of New York's First Lady.

Ralph Esmerian, chairman of the museum's Board of Trustees, and I had the privilege of escorting Director Gerard C. Wertkin, New YOfil State First Lady Libby Pataki, United States First Lady Laura Bush, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ralph 0. Esmerian these distinguished guests on a tour of the entire

S

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 13

It's official ... we've established a tradition

A BENEFIT FOR THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

The American Antiques Show (TAAS) 2002

was a smashing success and

as noted by Grace Glueck of the New York Times,

Its lively mix would soften

the most diehard art fair grinch."

A select group of the country's most prominent dealers will showcase the best of the best— American objects of history, design, imagination, and surprise from the 17th through the 20th century.

Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, NYC F ME TIME: Third week in January during Americana Week when auctions and antiques shows take place in NYC. Keeling, Wainwright Associates, Inc. So mark your calendar and come "Celebrate the American Spirit" with us at the first anniversary of THE AMERICAN ANTIQUES SHOW 2003. In this exciting setting, a roster of events will be featured geared to a broad range of subjects relevant to the home, garden, holidays, and family celebrations and anniversaries.

7 MUSEUM

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The Show will be open to the public for 4 days Thursday, January 16 through Sunday, January 19

THE AMERICAN ANTIQUES SHOW

For special events information or TAAS 2003 tickets please email taasfolkartmuseum.org or call 212. 977. 7170, ext. 312.

Save this ad to receive a special gift at TAAS 2003.

CP

OON REEK Antiques, L.L.C. George K. Allen Gordon L. W!jckoff

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19t1-1 Century Lancaster Count,y Mennonite Hooked Rug(Wool) 27" x +6"

PO box ±57,20 Main Street• 15nclgeport, NJ 0801+ Phone:(856) +67-5197. Fax:(856) +67-5+51 • Email: raccooncreek@msn.com

CHRISTIE'S

A molded copper squirrel weathervane Attributed to LW. Cushing (active 1865-19331 Waltham, Massachusetts, late 19th century Sold at Christie's Rockefeller Center, January 2002 for $292,000

An -Invitation to Consign We are currently accepting consignments for our upcoming American Furniture and Folk Art sales in New York on October 16.

Consignment Deadline: August 1

Inquiries 212 636 2230 Catalogues 800 395 6300

New York 20 Rockefeller Plaza New York, New York 10020 www.christies.com

By Appointment • York County, Pennsylvania •(717) 502-1281 • www.jeffbridgman.com

Jell R. Bridgman American Antiques

1910 example includes a An absolute masterpiece of American folk art, and quite possibly the best hooked folk style rug of its kind. Probably made in coastal New England, this village of houses with a flowers.

A of down a lane cat small black follow a These tiny legs. with carriage of passengers drawn by a team of large bodied black and white horses yellow church lies behind on a hill, where gulls soar over an elderly couple with cane and parasol. Several dogs enjoy the spectacle.

Folk Art• Early American Stars & Stripes•Painted American Furniture• Folk Style Paintings

MINIATURES

NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN / Ann Harwell / Wendell, N.C.

COMPILED BY KATHARINE CLARK

Contemporary Textiles from Tokyo "Tradition and Innovation: Contemporary Textiles from the NUNO Studio, Tokyo," is on view at the University of Los Angeles Fowler Museum of Cultural History (310/825-4361) through July 28. The exhibition features fabrics made with materials such as stainless steel, feathers, silk, copper, cotton, wool, and synthetics. Although the show explores scientific innovation and industrial technology in fabric manufacture, it also reveals the traditional Japanese sensitivity to textiles. Since the 1980s, Japan has been at the forefront of a movement to revive textiles as a mode of artistic expression. The

NUNO Studio, with chief designer Reiko Sudo,is widely considered a leader of experimental and revolutionary textile design. NUNO fabrics are roasted, ripped with blades, pulled apart, boiled and felted, heat-molded, shrunken, and pleated. The show includes a "please touch" area where fabrics can be examined by visitors. The Fowler Museum is part of the School of the Arts and Architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles. For additional information, call the museum or visit its website at www.fmch.ucla.edu.

September 11 Memorial Quilt Project "September 11 Quilts," a memorial project intended to provide people around the world with a way to mourn the attacks on Sept.

11 of 2001,is calling on volunteers to make quilt panels. The project is modeled after the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and after the panels are pieced together, the memorial will be placed on public display. The quilt will have a front and back, and panels should

measure exactly 36 x 72". Any fabric may be used, but nonstretch fabrics are best. Contributors may incorporate objects or mementos, but the use of glue is forbidden, as the panels will be folded and stored when not exhibited. For more information about getting involved in the project, please call 212/780-0596 or visit the website at www. septemberlIquilts.org.

Quilts from the Carolinas In recognition of the National Quilt Association's 33rd Annual Meeting, held June 25-30 at the Charlotte Convention Center, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design (704/337-2000) presents "Quilts from the Carolinas" at its Jones Gallery through Sept. 8. The exhibition features the 14 quilts selected from 120 entries in the

Art Brut in Chicago Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art(312/243-9088) presents a yearlong exhibition, "Eight from Europe: A Study Collection," through April 2003.

The show,curated by Eugenie Johnson, highlights works categorized by French artist Jean Dubuffet as art brut, which he defined as "produced by persons unscathed by artistic culture, where mimicry plays little or no part(contrary to the activity of intellectuals.) These artists derive everythingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;subjects,

18 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

choices of materials, means of transposition, rhythms, styles of writing, etc.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;from their own depths, and not from the conventions of classical or fashionable art." The exhibition spotlights artists Aloise Corbaz(Switzerland), Madge Gill(England), Augustin Lesage(France), Pascal Verbena(France), Scottie Wilson (England), Adolf Wolfli (Switzerland), Anna Zemankova (Czechoslovakia), and Carlo Zinelli (Italy). For more information, please call Intuit.

ROMANESQUE VII / Patricia Kilburg/Taylors, S.C.

juried Carolina Quilt Invitational and incorporates a number of techniques used in contemporary quiltmaking,from digital design to dying with organic materials (such as beets). For more information, please call the museum or visit its website at www.mint museum.org.

American Folk Art Sidney Gecker

PORTRAIT OF A MAN AND WOMAN AITIUBUTED TO Rum WHHTIER SHUTE (1803-1882) AND DR.SAMUEL ADDISON SHUTE (1803-1836) NEW ENGLAND - CIRCA 1828 WATERCOLOR,GOUCHE, PENCIL AND INK ON PAPER 22 x 18 INCHES AMONG THE EARLIEST KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE SHUTES' WORK. 226 West21st Street New York, N.Y. 10011 (212)929-8769 Appointment Suggested Subject to prior sale.

Toleware Document Box Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Circa 1840.

Excellent condition.

8" wide x 5" tall x 3" deep.

EXHIBITING Wilton Outdoor Antiques Marketplace June 22-23; Wilton, CT Midweek in Manchester August 7-8; Manchester, NH York Antiques Show Aug 30-Sept 1; York, PA

11-

Thurston Nichols American Antiques 522 Twin Ponds Road Breinigsville, PA 18031 phone: 610.395.5154 fax: 610.395.3679 www.antiques101.com

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 19

MINIATURES

Peter Spivak At our New San Francisco Gallery Memory Jars and Improvised Quilts Also at Intuit, through Aug. 31, the exhibition "Soulful Pieces: Memory Jars and Improvised Quilts by Unknown Makers" concentrates on the history and memory behind contemporary folk artworks. In conjunction with the show, Brooke Davis

Anderson, director of the American Folk Art Museum's Contemporary Center, will speak on the subject of memory jars, and scholar Eli Leon, will lecture on the subject of African American quilts. For more details, please contact Intuit.

Moroccan Textiles at Indianapolis Museum Innocence, oil on wood

AMERICA*011 YES! Pace Design Center 466 Geary Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94120 Telephone: 415-931-6892 Gallery Hours. Mon-Fri from 10 a m to 5 p.m., Evenings and Weekends by Appointment

www.americaohyes.com

Butch Anthony

On view through June 30 in the Allen Whitehill Clowes Special Exhibition Gallery at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (317/923-1331),"The Fabric of Moroccan Life" showcases 150 rare embroideries, hangings, and rugs from the museum's textile collection. The exhibition includes works that reveal the range of cultural influences and traditions prevalent in Morocco in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th

centuries. The majority of the works,featuring geometric and organic designs, have never before been placed on public display. Many programs for children and adults are being offered in conjunction with the exhibition.

For additional information, please call the museum or visit its website at www.ima-art.org.

At our Washington, DC Gallery

Bob Ross, oil on circus tent

AMERICA*011,YES! 1700 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20009 Telephone: 202-483-9644 Gallery Hours. Mon - Fri from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Evenings and Weekends by Appointment

www.americaohyes.com

20 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

RUG / M'Hazil people / Arab peoples, Rehamna region / Plains of Marrakesh / 1920s or 1930s / goat hair, wool / 129 62/ 1 2"/ the Eliza M. and Sarah L. Niblack Collection, Indianapolis Museum of Art

WOMAN'S HEADSCARF / Ida on Nadif people, Berber / Anti Atlas Mountains / 1925-1950/ wool and cotton, painted with henna / 33/ 1 4 x 39/ 1 2 "/ gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney laurel / Indianapolis Museum of Art

AMERICAN PRIMITIVE WAIST OR SHOULDER CLOTH / Southwest Sumatra / Indonesia / late 19th century / cotton, silk, and metallic threads / 74 16"

GALLERY 594 Broadway #205 New York, NY 10012 Tel. 212-966-1530

Beaded dove holding a sprig on a beaded vase with flowers. Height 22in. PA c.1890's

International Threads Come Together in New Mexico Show A textile exhibition showcasing 105 textiles from around the world is on display at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe(505/476-5105)through Sept.

7, 2003."Gathering Threads: The Heart of the Neutrogena Collection" reveals a range of ingenuity and creativity from various cultures and eras. In 1995, the Neutrogena Corporation and Lloyd E. Cotsen,former Neutrogena CEO, donated more than 2,500 objects (half of them textiles) to the Museum of International Folk Art. "Gathering Threads" is the

third and fmal show drawn from the collection, and features many of what are considered the collection's best works. The textiles come from 25 countries, including Peru, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Japan, and Greece and the techniques used vary from ikat to embroidery to tie-die, to name a few. The exhibition invites viewers to recognize comparisons and differences between processes and motifs. For the most current information on the show, visit the museum's website at ww.museumofnewmexico.org.

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Mexican Devotional Art The California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica (310/392-8537) presents "Saints and Sinnersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mexican Devotional Art" through Jan. 26, 2003. The exhibition of hundreds of items features religious artworks from the Colonial period, including crucifixes, milagros, santos, retablos, altars, masks,

and paintings on canvas, paper, copper, and tin. In conjunction with the show,the museum is offering slide lectures titled "Collecting Masks of Mexico," "Identifying 19th-century Retablo Artists by Style," and "Day of the Deadâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;A Celebration of Life." For more information, please call the museum.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 21

MINIATURES

A Statue of Liberty Given to Brooklyn Museum

6119 ROUTE 9 RHINEBECK, NY

BY APPOINTY.ENT # PHONE 845 876-1582

www.goldgoat.com

A 29-foot model of the Statue of Liberty, created in the 19th century by immigrant entrepreneurs and installed atop the Liberty Storage Warehouse on West 64th Street in Manhattan for approximately a hundred years, was recently donated to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The statue was created for William H. Flattau, an auctioneer and the owner of Liberty Storage. Until 1912, visitors could ascend an interior spiral staircase and view Columbus Circle through a small hole beneath Liberty's chin. This model is somewhat different from the Bartholdi original. Currently under examination by curators, it will be ready for public view in the museum's Frieda Schiff Warburg Memorial Sculpture Garden within a year. The Athena Group, Athena Liberty-Lofts L.P., and Briclunan Associates made the donation in honor of the Fire Department of New York,the New York Police Department, and the Emergency Medical Service.

Statue of Liberty model atop the Liberty Storage Warehouse

Outsider Artists Look Out Outsider Artists have often been characterized as individuals destined for solitude, seeking inspiration only from their personal experiencesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;often limited or confined. Through Feb. 25, the Collection de l'Art Brut Lausanne(4121/647-54-35) presents "The Crowd," an exhibition featuring works by Outsider artists who,contrary to conventional notions, were fascinated with the social body. The exhibition spot-

lights works by Carlo, Eugene Gabritschevslcy, Helmut, Berthe Coulon, Oswald Tschirtner, Martine Copenaut, and Gaston Teuscher. A publication accompanies the show that includes texts by Jean-Pierre Keller, Erica Deuber Ziegler, Luc Debraine, Michel Thevoz and Lucienne Peiry. For additional information call the Collection de L'Art Brut Lausanne.

Corrections Please note the following correction to "Celebration for Souls Grown Deep II"(spring 2002, vol. 27/ no. 1, p. 53). Frank Rocco receives photo credit for

22 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

the event. Also note on p. 62 of the same issue, Chuck Rosenak took the photograph of Howard Finster. We apologize for the omissions.

LAURA FISHER ANTIQUE QUILTS &AMERICANA 1050 SECOND AVENUE, GALLERY #84 (between 55- 56th Sts.)

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A floral masterpiece with exquisite applique and trapunto quilting, Southern, c. 1850.

i-i' , ..

See nineteen lamps from the collection ofThe New-York Historical Society illustrating the extraordinary work ofLouis Comfort Tiffany.

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Rarely on view in a gallery setting, Tiffany—The Power ofLight provides the opportunity to explore,in detail the variety ofshapes and forms produced simultaneously under Tiffany's direction.

010,010

Tiffan The Power of Lig7 t Lamps from the Collection of The New-York Historical Society

APRIL 2 — DECEMBER 29, 2002

FENIMORE ART MUSEUM Lake Road, Route 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326 1-888-547-1450•www.fenimoreartmuseum.org Crimson Peacock Desk Lamp,by Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1899-1920 N84.860 Collection ofThe New-York Historical Society

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 23

is d

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Selections from the Permanent Collection June 7 — August 10, 2002 THF View works of art from some of the finest

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Rene Latour, Moon Walker

Toes.-Sat 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun, noon-5 p.m. • Closed major holidays

The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art is owned and operated by the City of Orlando, ?.0

24 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Cassandra G illens

At our Hilton Head Island Gallery

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AMERICAN,SPORTING,& WESTERN PAINTINGS ANTIQUE DECOYS & AMERICAN FOLK ART Goldeneye Drake from Quebec, Canada, c. 1925

usual treatment on a working decoy.

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Pieced and Appliqued Cotton Album Quilt(detail), New Jersey, 1843. Estimate: $8,000-12,000

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image by Staske Photography www.staskephotography.com Tel. 217- 469-0081 St. Joseph, Illinois 61873

Immigrant's Passionate Statement of Patriotism In a Finely Knotted Rug Under the pressure of anti-immigrant prejudice of the time, immigrants selected various means of expressing their Americanization.

This is Simply the Finest & Most Eloquent Cotton or Wool Pile Knotted on Raw Linen Canvas Unrestored Original Condition; Conservation Mounted Rug 44" x 40 1/4" with Mounting 47" x 43" Circa 1912-1916 from SW Illinois Desended in and acquired from Family

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Featured at FOLKFEST 2002 Atlanta, GA August 16-18

Wood Carvings by

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Paintings and Sculpture by

Also: William Hawkins Elijah Pierce Popeye Reed Levent Isik Chan Sines Randell Morgan Jane "In Vain" Winkelman

CHER SHAFFER Featured in the 1989 book, "0, APPALACHIA," Cher is working again after an eight year hiatus.

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Ginger Young Gallery Southern Self-Taught Art

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Please contact us for a free CD catalog of 600 works by 60 artists.

"Woman with Apple" by Leonard Jones Paint on roofing tin, 27" x 27"

Main Street gallery "Quid Pro Crow" June 22 - July 10, 2002

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SARAH RAKES Landscape Paintings

30 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

SHANE CAMPBELL Wood Carvings

Folk Fest 2002 80 Exhibitors Featuring the finest in: • Self-taught Art • Outsider Art • Anonymous Folk Art • Southern Folk Pottery • Southern Decorative Arts • New Discoveries

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American Anthem Masterworks From the American Folk Art Museum John Parnell, NY

34 SLIMMER 2002 FOLK ART

TWO PERSPECTIVES

Detail of A PORTRAIT OF MARIE IN SWEATER AND PEARLS Eugene Von Bruenchenhein Milwaukee c. 1940s Hand-tinted gelatin silver print 10 8" Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2000.1.17

Detail of WOMAN IN PINK Attributed to John Usher Parsons Maine C. 1835-1840 Oil on canvas 26 211 / 2" Gift of Joan and Victor Johnson, 1999.13.1

John Pamell, NY

The second part of the museum's inaugural exhibition year opens on July 11 with American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum. Organized by Stacy C. Hollander, senior curator and director of the museum's exhibitions, and Brooke Davis Anderson, the director and curator of the museum's Contemporary Center, this exhibition explores American folk art within its cultural context through the museum's permanent collection and includes major new acquisitions donated in honor of the opening of the new building. As a song of praise to the nation, American Anthem takes a fresh look at aspects of this country's cultural heritage from the colonial period to the present and will be on view through January 5, 2003.

Organized in loosely chronological, contextual settings, the innovative installation will explore the aesthetics of American folk art. By grouping together works that demonstrate commonly held ideas or influences of a particular period as interpreted across different mediumsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including paintings, watercolors, furniture, quilts, sculpture, and potteryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the exhibition will view aspects of American culture from the colonial period through the present day.

More than one third of approximately two hundred objects in the exhibition will be devoted to twentieth-century self-taught artists, placing their work in a historical continuum with traditional folk art from the permanent collection. The exhibition also reflects the expanded collecting interests of the museum. By introducing examples of twentieth-century European art brut, visitors can draw visual connections between American artists and their European counterparts to come to a deeper understanding of the specific identity of American folk art.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 35

By Stacy C. Hollander â&#x20AC;&#x201D; n the century since American folk art was codified as a distinct field of art-historical inquiry, it has proven to be an unruly and many-headed creature whose boundaries, operating principles, and aesthetic frameworks refuse to conform to any single notion that modern audiences attempt to impose. The exhibition "American Anthem: Masterworks from the Collection" posits that this variable and indefinable nature is in fact an actual reflection of a primary function that folk art plays in American society: that of a barometer of priorities and influences. "American Anthem" is the third installment of the museum's inaugural year in its critically acclaimed new home at 45 West 53rd Street. This first year in our new space is dedicated to showcasing the permanent collection that has been formed over the last forty years, from the first gift in 1962, the iconic Flag Gate, to the most recent acquisitions, the Ralph Esmerian Collection and the Henry Darger Archives."American Anthem" heralds folk art as a finger on the national pulse, and it is an unabashed song of praise to the nation.

A loosely chronological exploration of American folk art from the colonial period to the present, "American Anthem" emphasizes the historical and visual relationships that emerge when materials that draw upon the same references are placed together.

Time is thus the underlying presence as well as the momentum that propels the artworks through the development of form, function, and intent. But time has another subtle presence, one that is implied in the deliberate stitching on a quilt, the hand penning of an elaborately decorated valentine, the recycling of whalebone into a splendid birdcage, the impossibly fragile construction of a tower made from tiny chicken bones.

Featuring more than two hundred masterworks from the permanent collection, including significant new gifts, this exhibition

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;I

34 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

illuminates aesthetic ideas that were commonly held in particular periods and were expressed across mediums. In the colonial period, a strong English influence was apparent in architectural and joining techniques that migrated to the colonies with English craftsmen, as well as in visual ideas used as the basis for reinterpretations and adaptations. Symmetrical displays of rosettes, palmettes, scrolling vines, pinwheels, and tree of life designs provided the content of New England visual culture, from printed broadsides to women's textile work to paint-decorated furniture. These elements persisted for more than a century and were evidence of a cultural homogeneity that remained virtually unbroken until the turn of the nineteenth century, when the Romantic age dramatically changed the aesthetic landscape.

A classical iconography infused the decorative arts, inspired by forms and motifs unearthed earlier in the century at archaeological sites such as Herculaneum and Pompeii. The associations with ancient Roman and Greek civilizations coincided neatly with the establishment of an independent American republic, founded on democratic ideals similar to the principles upon which those earlier empires were built. The dark colors and conventionalized patterning long seen in furniture and needlework were swept away; deep, earthy colors and thick wools were replaced by pale shimmering shades and delicate silk and cotton threads.

The second quarter of the nineteenth century witnessed an explosion in consumerism, as homes and lands were "improved" and filled with furniture, portraits, prints, textiles, and other material goods. There was a burst of color as well, especially in rural areas of the country, where fantastically painted furniture and painted wall decorations brightened the interiors of homes, and flowers and geometric patterns gaily adorned everyday wares. In part a response to the newly pervasive notion of fancyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

UBERTY NEEDLEWORK Lucina Hudson South Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts 1808 Watercolor and silk thread on silk, with metallic thread and spangles 18 16" Museum purchase with funds from the Jean Lipman Fellows, 1996, 1996.9.1 (photographer unidentified)

CHEST OVER DRAWER Artist unidentified Guilford-Saybrook area, New Haven County, Connecticut 1690-1720 Paint on oak and pine 41 461 / 2 203 / 4" Gift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, 58.33

MISS FRANCES A. MOTLEY Attributed to John S. Blunt Probably Maine, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire 1830-1833 Oil on canvas 4" 1 4 29/ 3 35/ Promised gift of Barbara and David Krashes, P7.1999.1

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 37

or imagination—the painted decoration was frequently indicative of regional preferences.

A hard-edged clarity and impressive formality was introduced into the decorative arts during the Jacksonian age. Portraits of prosperity during this period and the years immediately following were provided by such artists as Ammi Phillips (1788-1865) and John Blunt (1798-1835), whose dignified and standardized canvases, characterized by rich contrasts of dark and light, presented a picture of cultural unity, even as political changes were beginning to shift power from the agrarian sectors to new industrial and mercantile arenas.

Critical historic moments, such as times of war or national celebration, engendered their own visual responses. Symbols of liberty, for instance, became part of the common language as soon as there was an independent nation to applaud. The pileus (a cap worn by ancient Romans), liberty figures, American flags, and the Great Seal were just some of the images adapted. By bringing these symbols into their homes, ordinary citizens actively participated in the drama of American statehood. Today, however, some artworks and objects serve as reminders that reality is relative rather than immutable, and that America is an idea that historically not everyone has shared. The ceramic vessel made in 1853, in South Carolina by the potter known simply as Dave is a beautiful and functional piece of pottery incised with the maker's name and the date it was shaped. It was made by an African American artisan, a member of the massive enslaved population whose own cultural continuity and contributions to the mainstream of American culture have only recently begun to be calculated and recognized.

American folk art has served many functions over the centuries, and has continually been adapted to the challenges of each age. By the middle of the nineteenth century, however, established conventions were being challenged by encroaching industrialization, changing patterns of immigration, and an

38 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

attendant influx of new influences.

Mechanical processes soon rendered most handmade products obsolete, and folk art increasingly became expressive of individual voices raised in support of the human touch—voices that also spoke to topical issues, personal concerns, and popular culture. Singular artistic expressions continued to empower the individual through the twentieth century. Bill Traylor, a former slave, created a penciled review of his life in the form of enigmatic and pictographic drawings; Clark Coe, a Connecticut grandfather altered his environment like an ingenious toymaker by taking advantage of the natural flow of water to power articulated figures of his own design; Eugene von Bruenchenhein worshipped his wife, Marie, creating hundreds of photographic portraits, ceramic crowns to adorn her head, and paintings dedicated to her.

In 1624, the English poet John Donne offered this meditation: "No man is an island ... every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main ..." He was musing on the individual's responsibility to the broader community of man, the basic concept that all human endeavor is connected, but this concept can also be applied to the consideration of American folk art; after all, the Mannerist conceptions that were new trends in Donne's material world made their way to the English colonies in America as established ideas. Folk art is the product of culture and history, if culture is an accumulation of traditions through usage over time and history is made up of a series of moments. It is "a part of the main," and each creator is a contributor to the pieces that make up the whole of American life.

The mythology of America— land of opportunity, refuge, and freedom—is deeply embedded in America's vernacular arts. Now, as we stand in the museum's new building, the hopes of those who came to America seeking these ideals, the version of America they created for themselves, and the aspirations of the generations that followed are palpable, captured forever in the very material they fashioned to fill their lives.

JUG Dave Drake Lewis J. Miles Pottery Edgefield District, Edgefield County, South Carolina 1853 Alkaline-glazed stoneware 141 / 2 12 111 / 2" Gift of Sally and Paul Hawkins, 1999.18.1

BIRDCAGE Joseph W. Clapp Massachusetts c. 1860 Peruvian mahogany, whalebone, sheet metal, and brass pins 2" 1 2 15/ 1 2 . 15/ / 181 Promised gift of Kristina Barbara Johnson, P19.2000.1

REITER FAMILY ALBUM QUILT Katie Friedman Reiter and Liebe Gross Friedman McKeesport, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania c. 1891-1892, reassembled 1976 Cotton and wool 101 101" Gift of Katherine Amelia Wine in honor of her grandmother Theresa Reiter Gross and the makers of the quilt, her great-grandmother Katie Friedman Reiter and her great-great-grandmother Liebe Gross Friedman, and on behalf of a generation of cousins: Sydney Howard Reiter, Penelope Breyer Tarplin, Jonnie Breyer Stahl, Susan Reiter Blinn, Benjamin Joseph Gross, and Leba Gross Wine, 2000.2.1

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

39

DUST BOWL COLLAGE William L. Hawkins Columbus, Ohio 1989 House paint on Masonite with collage 39/ 1 4 . 48" Blanchard-Hill Collection, gift of M. Anne Hill and Edward V. Blanchard Jr., 1998.10.27

JUNGLE SCENE Victor Joseph Gatto Probably New York 1942 Oil on canvas 24 x 29/ 1 2 " Gift of Ellin and Baron Gordon in memory of Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr., 2000.9.1

40 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

By Brooke Davis Anderson ora McKeown Ezell's Star Quilt keenly illustrates much that is distinct about folk expressions of the twentieth century.

Improvising on an eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem pattern, a classic design in American quiltmaking, the artist transformed the traditional design by applying the invention and bold coloration of African aesthetics. This textile is at once American in its idiosyncrasy and African in its reinvention. Ezell's quilt demonstrates continuity with earlier centuries in its technique, medium, and design, just as it reflects change in its rhythmic composition, offbeat patterning, and exaggerated scale of forms. Ezell brilliantly

THREE FACES IN LUSH LANDSCAPE Minnie Evans Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina 1959 Oil on canvas with collage 20 x 24" Promised gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, P14.2000.3

manipulates the traditions of quiltmaking to create a new, enticing expression that exemplifies the myriad of interpretations possible in the contemporary art of the self-taught.

Although some contemporary artists, like Ezell, draw upon earlier traditions, the forms of expression chosen by the artists are, for the most part, those of high art— paintings and sculpture. Because most of these creators are not working collaboratively as a "school" or community, as did the artists who made up most recognized movements in Western art history, their work defies categorization by schools of thought, technique, aesthetic movement, style, value, or any other "ism."

One way to locate the museum's contemporary collection in time is through the ongoing discourse about terminology used to describe material that does not fit neatly into a single category. A circular, semantic progression which unfolded throughout the twentieth century, beginning with "self-taught," "primitive," "naïve," and "folk," and moving on to "isolate," "visionary," "intuitive," "art

brut," and "outsider," among others. Recently, a growing audience in the South concerned with community, identity, and authenticity has come to prefer the term "vernacular." At this writing, most folk art scholars have come full-circle, back to "self-taught," a term used most notably in 1942 by Sidney Janis in his pioneering book They Taught Themselves. In Janis' lexicon,"self-taught" did not designate a specific type of artistic expression or style; it described memorable artwork made beyond the walls of the academy.

Viewing the museum's collection through the lens of language uncovers collecting habits (both public and private) of the last half-century. The collection records the shift within the field from "nal:yes" like Grandma Moses to the new "vernacular" artists, such as Thornton Dial.

Moses and Dial act as effective bookends to the use of the term "self-taught," which was introduced during the 1940s and made a triumphant return in the 1990s.

When Sidney Janis used the term "self-taught," Grandma Moses was the most famous living American artist. Her "primitive" portraits of life in rural upstate New York stood as icons of American folk art. Still-life and genre scenes, most frequently realized in paint, were also popular subjects for artists such as Horace Pippin. The descriptive term was certainly apt for hobbyists like the painter Sophy Regensberg and late-blooming artists such as Morris Hirshfield and Bill Traylor. Often, the lack of technical proficiency—especially in the skill of perspective— charmed Janis and his colleagues as well as the general public. More importantly, the art reaffirmed America's sense of self-reliance and uniqueness of spirit. It is worth noting that Janis introduced these artists into the fine art establishment; his book accompanied the 1939 exhibition of the same name at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The American Folk Art Museum was founded in 1961, twenty years after the publication of They Taught Themselves. The museum's very first curator, Herbert W. Hemphill Jr., ushered in a new era of twentieth-century folk art appreciation. A founding member of the museum's board of trustees, Hemphill was arguably his era's most important curator, author, and collector of contemporary folk art. He expanded the notion of folk art beyond traditional, utilitarian, and communal expressions to embrace idiosyncratic and individualistic artwork; the American Folk Art Museum has thus been aligned with this vision from its inception.

While artists and scholars of the 1940s and 1950s championed the primitive and the naïve, those of the 1960s and 1970s returned the focus to more traditional folk art themes by celebrating notions of community, regionalism, religion, and ethnic pride. Edgar Tolson's masterful woodcarvings, Minnie Evans' unmediated and visionary works on paper, and Ulysses Davis' inventive carved sculptures all reflect these values. The greatest wealth of the museum's contemporary collection is drawn from this latter period.

Works by visionaries and isolates, though often created earlier in the century, started to enter collections by

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 41

•soirliMENI —

•

CHARCOAL STOVE BOOK James Castle Garden Valley, Boise County, Idaho Early to mid-twentieth century Soot and saliva on found paper, bound with string 12>< 103As x (closed) Gift of Thomas Isenberg, 2001.32.1

42 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

THE ANCESTOR THRONE NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR NO ROCK NOR NO CRACK Lonnie Holley Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama 1993 Paint on wood with plastic tubing, artificial flowers, fabric, cord, animal skull bone, net, and string 2 66 â&#x20AC;˘ 15" 1 70/ Gift of Luise Ross, 2000.10.1

SI'MMER 2002 FOLK ART 43

the 1970s, particularly in Chicago, with the "discovery" of the work of Henry Darger. The work of these artists appealed to many collectors of contemporary folk art, despite the fact that, with few exceptions, it was not intended for a public audience. Morton Bartlett's dolls and James Castle's Icehouse books were held in secret during the artists' lifetimes; Henry Darger's illustrated epics were glimpsed through his doorway by only a few people.

Sometimes, as with Martin Ramirez and John Podhorsky, the maker was institutionalized, imposing further isolation. One exception is Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, who tried to interest a local art gallery in his work but was rejected and never again attempted to make his inventive works public.

The definition of "outsider art" is linked to isolation from both mainstream society and the mainstream artworld. This term— which became popular in the early 1980s, proliferated during the 1990s, and today is an established designator in the world of art— was first delivered to our shores with the 1972 book Outsider Art by British author and art scholar Roger Cardinal. The phrase was conceived as a marketing tool—the book was titled by the publisher, not the author—and is not used once in the book. The author preferred the term "art brut," or "raw art," which had been coined by mainstream artist Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s to describe artwork made outside the academy.

Initially understood to signify art made by someone living on the margins of society (imprisoned or institutionalized, for instance) "outsider art" subsequently was used to indicate work made by any artist not schooled by the art academy. This arguably divisive term suggests "otherness"—who is in? Who is out?

Unfortunately, however, it seems to possess incredible staying power. Many artists who gained notice during the last two decades, such as Howard Finster and Eddie Arning, are now so connected to the notion of being on the "outside" of mainstream art that "outsider art" continues to be the most frequently used term in the marketplace and the press. Ironically, as this work has increased in popularity and price, it has become integrated into the mainstream art scene. Despite this paradox, or perhaps because of it, the time for new language has definitely arrived.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, issues of community and authenticity have arisen in the scholarship relating to contemporary art. Through their artwork, painters like Purvis Young and assemblage artists like Lonnie Holley show that they are very much products of place, time, and history. Refreshingly, students of this work have come to

44 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

appreciate the environments in which artists have been working; the terms "vernacular" and "folk," along with the non-pejorative "self-taught" (which designates a lack of academic not cultural isolation), accurately place the work and its creator within an appropriate context of community and heritage.

At first, it may seem odd to conclude a presentation of three centuries of American folk art, as we do in "American Anthem: Masterworks from the Collection of the American Folk Art Museum," with examples of European art brut. But the inclusion of these works in the exhibition demonstrates an exciting new collecting initiative of the museum. From Adolf Won to August Walla, the international artists featured here span the entire twentieth century. The visual connections between these artists and their American counterparts are compelling; compare the stark figures of Bill Traylor to those of Carlo Zinelli, or the crowded, angular compositions of Augustin Lesage to the lush, complex worlds of Minnie Evans. These comparisons speak eloquently of common,creative ground shared by all artists.

From "self-taught" to "naive," from "contemporary" to "visionary," from "outsider" to "vernacular," and back to "selftaught," terminology has marked the development of both our field and the museum's collection. Each of these terms has its strengths and weaknesses, and some artists clearly can be better matched with one than with another. There exists no consensus on how best to designate the work of artists like Bill Traylor, Martin Ramirez, Joseph Yoakum, Henry Darger, Bessie Harvey, Mr. Imagination, and Georgia Blizzard, or even of quiltmaker Nora Ezell. As artists, students, critics, and collectors introduce new terms, the scholarship around this contemporary work will inevitably be forced to explore new terrain. To fully grapple with this work, we need to achieve a consensus on how to talk about it. The Western art-historical canon may not offer a fitting model because this work has been recognized as outside its purview. One wonders if there is another paradigm—perhaps from another culture or discipline of study—that might provide words to finally and definitively unlock this material so that the strength of the objects and the voices of their makers will finally be heard by all.* Stacy C. Hollander is Senior Curator and Director ofExhibitions, American Folk Art Museum.

Brooke Davis Anderson is Director and Curator of the American Folk Art Museum's Contemporary Center.

AnAt1/1/1 AS.1141

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ROARING LION, GUARDIAN OF THE TEMPLES Augustin Lesage Pas-de-Calais, France 1938 Oil on canvas 49 35" Promised gift of Sam and Betsey Farber, P10.2000.4

MOURNING URN Georgia Blizzard Glade Springs, Washington County, Virginia 1998 Fired clay 9 10-6" Gift of Judith Alexander, 2000.11.1

FLAG GATE Artist unidentified Jefferson County, New York c. 1876 Paint on wood with iron and brass 4" 3 2 57 3/ 1 39/ Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr., 1962.1.1

American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum n view July 11, 2002 to January 5, 2003 at the American Folk Art Museum,45 West 53rd Street, New York City.

A 432-page catalog, featuring 576 illustrations, 293 in full color, and published in association with Harry N. Abrams is available at the American Folk Art Museum's Book and Gift Shops at 45 West 53rd Street and at Two Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue Between 65th and

O

66th Streets in New York, or online at www.museumshop.com.

"American Anthem" the inaugural series of exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum is sponsored by PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES

INC.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 45

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SOWING THE FIELD 1988-1991 Pencil on paper with tape 20" diam.

Gift of Ray Hass and Jerrie Pike, 2001.31.2

SOWING THE FIELD 1988-1991 Magna acrylic and oil on circular saw 20" diam.

Gift of Ray Hass and Jerrie Pike, 1999.2.1

By Lee Kogan

Jacob Kass Painted Saws and Drawings in the American Folk Art Museum's Collection

Eight painted saws and four drawings in the permanent collection of the American Folk Art Museum provide an excellent sampling of the range of work of Jacob J. Kass, a truck painter and letterer who began to paint on tools—mostly handsaws—as a hobby in the mid-1970s, about ten years after he retired.

He created art vigorously until 1993,stopping only when his health began to fail.

Kass experienced America through the turbulent years of the depression, World War II, and the cold war, as well as the struggles for civil and women's rights, but he chose not to focus on the problems of the world. Instead, he illustrated people at work and at play in idealized rural and urban settings. His dense cityscapes show buildings and rooftops, pushcarts, moving days, baseball games on corner lots, and kids playing hopscotch. The pastoral works feature barns and outbuildings, farmers sowing the fields, horses frolicking in meadows, and people skating on ponds. His settings were based on composite memories of half a century spent in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood and his retirement in Vershire, Vermont, and Largo, Florida. Kass generally maintained a distance between himself and his subjects, and his panoramic scenes reveal a reverence for nature and a rare sensitivity to the rhythm of the seasons and daily weather. His works are elegant views of everyday life magically transformed into personal tone poems.

46 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Object photography, Virginia Tech Media Services, Blitekburg, Va.

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Jacob Kass in Florida, April 1991

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2002

PUSHCARTS 1983 Pencil on paper with tape 6/ 1 4 261 / 46" Gift of Ray Hass and Jerrie Pike, 2001.31.4

Kass's medium of choice was the handsaw. He painted on all types, including regular saws, hacksaws, and ice saws, and inserted painted wood panels on bucksaws and coping saws. He used other tools as well, including sickles, hay knives, and carpenter's squares; he even inserted a painted panel in the grip of a set of ice tongs.

The saws in the American Folk Art Museum's collection vary in size and shape.

Kass's interest in tools came from a lifetime of experience as an artisan. In the more than 45 years he spent as a truck painter, Kass often worked seven days a week. When he retired in 1963, he said, "[I] didn't want to look at a paintbrush again. ... I figured I owed myself some relaxation and pleasure in life." But he found that he enjoyed going to flea markets, buying old furniture to fix up and sell and old milk cans and frying pans to paint.

"In 1977 I decided to paint a picture of my place in Vermont on an old handsaw from my shed. I enjoyed doing that and, having a dozen or so old saws on hand, I started to paint the things I saw around me in Vermont on them.

People liked them and would ask me to paint one for them. Now in my retiring years,I am fulfilling my lifelong ambitionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;painting what I want to paint for the pleasure of it and not because I have to."2 Kass's shift from ornamental painter to visual artist was hardly unprecedented. Numerous nineteenth-century artists did similar double duty. Rufus Porter (1792-1884) painted wall murals and other forms all over New England.

Winthrop Chandler (1747-1790) painted houses, portraits, overmantels, and fireboards, and decorated utilitarian objects. Chester Harding (1792-1866) worked as a sign painter in Pittsburgh for a year before becoming a portrait painter. Landscape, seascape, and portrait painter John Blunt (1798-1837) was listed in the 1821 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, business directory as an ornamental and portrait painter. The best-known ornamental painterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; cumâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;visual artist in the history of America is probably the

48 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

nineteenth-century Quaker minister and artist Edward Hicks (1780-1849). Like Kass, who learned the basics of carriage and wagon painting in the 1920s by working at his father Wilhelm's side in a horse stable turned paint shop, Edward Hicks learned to paint, stripe, letter, and decorate coaches while serving a seven-year apprenticeship to William Tomlinson in Attleborough (now Langhorne), Pennsylvania during his teen years. Hicks' skills as a letterer and ornamental painter are evident in his signs and in the ornamental gold lettering used in the borders of some of his Peaceable Kingdom paintings. Kass's lettering skills are manifest on his painted saws in his small signatures, complete with decorative zigzag flourishes, and occasionally in titles painted onto the works.

Kass's apprenticeship began when he was nine years old, when it was his duty to bring the lunch pail to his father's shop. It was not long, however, before he was assigned other tasks as well.

As I became 10 or 11 years old, I would work during the summer vacation in the shop cleaning and painting wheels, painting the underneath of the carriages, cleaning brushes, etc. The majority of people in those days came from Europe, and they had the attitude that when you were old enough to work, you worked, and any time they were busy in the shop, I worked on Saturday and Sunday to help out.

When I got to be a teenager, I was interested in doing something else . . . . I decided that I wanted to be a commercial artist and went to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for two terms at night and later tried to get a job in the advertising line with the little education that I had had but things were slow then. After being out of work for a couple of

PUSHCARTS 1983 Magna acrylic and oil on handsaw 7 293/4" Gift of Ray Kass and Jerrie Pike, 1999.2.7

weeks, my father asked me to help out in the shop, and I never got out of it again.

Being artistically inclined, it did not take long to learn to stripe and letter. I practiced on wagon wheels and undercarriages until I was good enough to stripe the upper body. We used to put some fancy scrolls and stripes on the wagons in those days. I worked with a man called Adolph Bumhardt, an old artist and carriage letterer in Brooklyn. We put fancy eagles holding flags in their talons on the tailboards at the back of the peddlers' wagons. In the spring we would get a lot of ice trucks before the summer season and we would paint horseshoes with numbers in them on their tailboards.3 Kass's craftsmanship is evident in every stage of his working process,from preparation to presentation. The preparation methods he used for his artmaking were just as rigorous as those that had been put to use on the trucks in the old paint shop. First, he carefully removed the handle. Second, he ground the front and back of each blade with a disc grinder to remove all rust and uneven surfaces.

Then, he applied a metal primer (made by Shecoloin or Dupont) using an oxhair brush and sprayed varnish or lacquer over the primed surface. He generally painted his scenes with Bocour Magna acrylic paint, using oil paint for details. He covered the back of the blade with either gray or black primer, or more often he left it unpainted.

Finally, he sprayed varnish or lacquer over the surface, sometimes adding his signature and the work's title.

Because of all this, his saws remain in excellent condition.

The bustling and remarkably detailed Pushcarts (1983) features a row of named shops, including Tony's Barber Shop, Ace Cleaners, and Howard Clothes, along with stores bearing more generalized labelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the 5 and

10c Variety Store, Kosher Meat Market, Dress Shop, Pharmacy. In the upper right edge near the saw's handle, a red Habacker Moving and Storage truck is parked behind a horse and wagon. Another horse and wagon, this one bearing the logo of the New York State dairy Ferndale Farms, is parked in the midground, its driver approaching an apartment building. A cluster of Hasidic Jews engage in a business transaction; a man wearing a sandwich-board sign advertises a local eatery; another man sells clothing; a woman pushes a baby carriage; a peddler with a cart sells knishes. The image is apparently a composite of several scenes observed by Kass in and around Brooklyn and Manhattan over a period of many years. According to city directories from between 1930 and 1955, Howard Clothes, Tony's Barber Shop, and Ace Cleaners were real businesses, but they were all located on different streets; some were on Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, while others were on Grand Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side.4 The horizontal stretch of a length of multicolored awnings and store signs follows the length and shape of the blade, with the street intersection occurring at the wide end, nearest the handle. Following the shape of a blade was apparently important to Kass.

In Moving Day (1983), one of several works depicting this familiar city scene, a bright red Habacker Moving and Storage truck with gold lettering is parked near 64-66 Alabama Street, the site of the paint shop that Kass's father established with a partner in a converted horse stable in 1910. A family is moving in or out; neighbors and children hold hands as they observe workers hauling crates between the truck and the apartment. Two preliminary drawing variations, one dated 1982 and the other 1991, are of special interest in connection with this painting. Below the drawing featuring a Habacker truck is the indication "red" and the words "DEC 1991, M.LIEBERMAN AND SON/GREEN VAN." On the back of the other drawing, titled "HABACKER MOVING DAY'#97

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 49

1982," are the words "ALSO VARIATION/ IN 199192/GREEN LIEBERMAN VAN." Apparently, Kass recycled the scene, using different moving companies in different versions. Both Lieberman and Habacker were counted among the Kass shop's clients for many years.5 In Roofs (1985), the gray, placid sky, the graygreen open area, and a misty distant town set off the stylized arrangement of the orderly diagonal rows of roofs and sides of commercial and civic buildings and factories.

A church is positioned below the wooden handle of the saw. The grayish pastel colors lend an ambiguous serenity.

Kass's attention to the curve of the upper blade is emphasized by the note on his drawing for this work to "curve clouds with saw" along the sky edge and to "curve with saw" along the mid-horizontal line of roofs and landscape.

The Corner Lot(1991-1992)shows another mood in Kass's oeuvre. The deep shadows and abstracted forms create an atmosphere similar to that of an Edward Hopper painting, one that stands in contrast to the vigor and joy of the ballgame on the corner lot and of the game of hopscotch across the street. The large faded Castoria advertisement painted on the side of a building sets the tone of a bygone era when the product, a laxative, was well-known and popular. The slogan "Castoria/Children Cry For It" adds subtle humor. Kass's draftsmanship and compositional ability is manifest in the extension of the painted picture surface to the saw handle and to the tiny, foreshortened Ferndale Dairy wagon moving up the street.

Two Horses in the Meadow (1979), Town View (1983), Sowing the Field (1988-1991) and Moonlight in Vermont #1 (1979) are Kass's paeans to the pastoral New England landscape. The first two works, in particular, evoke feelings of a peaceful world. The sunny green meadows and fields of the first three pieces contrast with the ice skaters in silhouette, bathed in ethereal light from the gray-blue moonlit sky in the atmospheric night scene presented in Moonlight in Vermont #1. Sowing the Field, executed on a large circular saw blade, reveals Kass's skill in creating movement with line. Normally tranquil fields are energized by abstract banded and swirling patterns of land and sky that follow the circular motion of the jagged saw teeth that seem ready to propel the blade from right to left. The tiny fanner working the land with his plow draws the viewer's eye directly into the central vortex. The stillness of the lake near the center of the work seems to emphasize the movement of the dynamic fields and sky.

Though Kass's artist son, Raymond, knew about many of the preliminary sketches, it was only recently discovered that Kass prepared a drawing for virtually every tool he painted (just as he made cartoons or ponces for truck patterns), and then numbered, titled, and signed the drawing. He did not trace the drawing onto the blade or panel surface; there are no carbon marks or pinpricks on any of Kass's artworks. He almost certainly "eyeballed" or copied directly from his sketch, carefully folding the drawing and tucking it away until needed. To make a pattern for each blade or panel he planned to paint, Kass used tape to enlarge his paper modeling surface, then trimmed the shape to the tool blade's exact size. Most of the draw-

50 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

ings show evidence of tape on the top edge, suggesting that Kass taped up his drawing to copy it on the blade. The effects of time on the paper and the yellowing of Scotch and masking tape bring to mind the drawings of the postmodern German artist Joseph Beuys.

Kass may not have considered his drawings works of art, but they, nevertheless, deserve recognition as such.

The vitality of the images, the obvious speed and confidence with which Kass moved his pencil over the surface, his ability to alternate from scenes crammed with detail to delicate and spare images, and his choices of style for each subject are remarkable. Kass enjoyed some recognition and success during his lifetime. He was represented by and exhibited at the Alan Stone and Nancy Hoffman galleries beginning in 1981. Two exhibitions in Florida— at the Tampa Museum of Art in 1994 and at the Mennello Museum in Orlando in 2000—brought his art to a broader public. The upcoming exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery is the first

museum exhibition in the Northeast to show his painted tools and drawings. At the heart of Kass's pictures are moral values integral to American culture and the American spirit. His images celebrate the value of work, the beauty and power of nature, and diversity in our population. Their beauty and coherence, the directness of their expression, and their workmanship will give pleasure to many viewers and will increase the respect for this undersung visual artist.* Lee Kogan is the director ofthe Folk Art Institute and curator of special projectsfor the American Folk Art Museum's Contemporary Center. She is also the curatorfor the exhibition "Painted Saws: Jacob Kass"(July 20—December I, 2002)and author of the accompanying exhibition catalog.

NOTES 1 Jacob J. Kass,"My Life and Work," in Lowe Art Museum, Jacob J. Kass: Painted Saws(Coral Gables, Fla.: University of Miami, 1982), p. 6.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid., p. 5.

4 Kass once spoke of his grandfather as the "pushcart king of Blake Avenue." This Brooklyn street was the center of a Jewish neighborhood filled with pushcarts, which were often the first businesses for enterprising immigrants, including Kass's grandfather.

5 In a Nov. 10, 2001, telephone conversation, Robert Habacker, present owner of Charles W. Habacker Company, said that Kass painted Habacker trucks for 35 years.

MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT #1

1979 Pencil on paper with tape 5¼x 17/ 1 2" Gift of Ray Kass and Jerrie Pike,2001.31.1

ROOFS 1985 Magna acrylic and oil on customized handsaw 7 x 21" Gift of Ray Kass and lend.

Pike, 1999.24

MOVING DAY 1983 Magna acrylic and oil on handsaw 6/ 3 4 x 29" Gift of Ray Kass and Janie Pike, 1999.2.6

THE CORNER LOT 1991-1992 Magna acrylic and oil on handsaw 7 x 31" Gift of Ray Kass and Jerrie Pike, 1999.2.8

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Painted Saws: Jacob Kass PAINTFD SAWS ./A11011 KASS

On view at the American Folk Art Museum July 20—December 1,2002 Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Two Lincoln Square Columbus Avenue, between 65th and 66th Streets, New York City A full-color catalog is available at the American Folk Art Museum's Book and Gift Shops at 45 West 53rd Street and at Two Lincoln Square.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by

NATIONAL FINANCIAL PARTNERS SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 51

JOB HILL AND FAMILY Caroline Hill Peterborough, New Hampshire 1837 Ink and watercolor on paper Peterborough Historical Society

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hen twenty-one year old Caroline Hill of Peterborough, New Hampshire, painted her family in November 1837, she created a family record of much charm and some complexity. The Hills, handsomely turned out and seated in a tight semicircle of Windsor chairs set around a three-legged table, seem at ease with the process of having a group portrait painted. A gray cat has joined them for the experience, and in the background crimson curtains are open to reveal the view of a distant hillside. The overall composition, not unlike that of similar works by Joseph H. Davis of New Hampshire, is one of a somewhat genteel family in its most presentable domestic setting. In terms of iconography, however, the critical element is the presence of a pen-and-ink family register displayed prominently on a bright yellow wall behind the family. This almost unique depiction of a family register in a home environment provides a rare clue to how genealogical data was valued and offers a pleasing example of the convergence between folk art and family history.

By incorporating a family register into her portrait, Caroline Hill created an overall record that is both figural and statistical. Dates of birth for Caroline, her siblings, and her parents are recorded in the register. Significantly, information on two other siblings, who were by then deceased, is also recorded: an older sister,

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 53

Betsey, died at the age of nine in 1821, and an unnamed infant brother was born and died that same year. In the painting, Caroline's parents flank their children: Betsey (Perry) Hill is on the left, leaning slightly forward in a rocking chair, with one foot elevated on a low, fringed stool; on the right is Job Hill. The Hill patriarch was owner and operator of a gristmill on the nearby Contoocook River; in this portrait, he is rendered as if he has interrupted his business interests for a few moments to indulge his daughter's artistic pursuit—spectacles dangle loosely from his fingers in one hand and a sheaf of handwritten documents is held in the other. The young woman wearing the green dress (third from left) may be Caroline's older sister Mary, who would die in 1874 from "insanity." Unintentionally, Caroline's portrait stands as a farewell tribute to her family and to familiar surroundings—just six years after its execution, she married the Reverend Levi L. Fay, and moved to Lawrence, Ohio, where she died in 1854.'

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, New Englanders often preserved the histories of their immediate families in decorative forms—needlework samplers, penand-ink or printed records, and watercolor or lithographed family trees were created in surprising numbers.

The Hill family portrait is more unusual. Some decorative arts scholars see these artifacts as an outgrowth of earlier American forms of personal or family identification, such as the initials, names, or dates found on late-seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century dower chests and other household possessions.2 Nineteenth-century handwritten, painted, and lithographed family records, whether created by schoolgirls, professional penmen, or local artists, represented a vernacular parallel to the rise of formalized genealogical study that commenced in America in the 1830s and 1840s. In 1845 the first genealogical institution in the United States was founded in Boston—the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Within the collections of the society today are scores of works of genealogical folk art and a new multiauthor publication from that organization, The Art of

54 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England.

Like Caroline Hill's painting, the vibrant 1818 watercolor-and-ink portrait prepared for the family of William Ingersell (or Ingersoll) and Susanna Shaw Wass(?) of Columbia, Maine, presents family portraiture in combination with a record of births.

Relegated to the garbage bin in recent years when a descendant sold the family home, this remarkable work was rescued, sold, auctioned, and finally professionally restored. Interestingly, the watercolor does not

depict all of the Ingersell progeny.

Eventually, sixteen children would be born to William and Susanna, but at the time of the portrait's execution, there were only seven. While the artist is unknown, an Ingersoll genealogy published in 1926 states, "portraits of the six oldest children of the family were painted by Charles Dundas of England"3; it is unclear if this note is a reference to the Ingersell watercolor. The painting is made up of nine vignettes. Mr. and Mrs. Ingersell sit at top center with their youngest, Peggy Mayheu Ingersell,

WILLIAM INGERSELL AND FAMILY Artist unknown Columbia, Maine 1818 Ink and watercolor on paper Private collection

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between them; all the other children land, particularly in Connecticut and scholars Russell and Corinne are posed beneath swags bearing their Massachusetts. Many records were Earnest.4 One example is a birth names. Birth information is boxed made for agricultural families of the record for Mary Fitch, born in July beneath each subject, and red, poppy- Connecticut River Valley area; others 1778. It features a pair of birds, like flowers surround each member of were representative of pioneer fami- perched on bent twigs, pecking at a the family. Perhaps as an indirect clue lies on the move from southern New potted plant while a divided heart to the piece's authorship, son Eli England to New York. One penman, floats in the upper right-hand corner.

The creation of unique works (bottom row, center) holds a rolled identified only as "C—"(the remainpiece of paper that reads "specimen der of the name or initials being torn of genealogical art, however, went of penmanship," implying perhaps away in a signed example of his well beyond family Bibles or related work), evidently produced scores of forms to specimens that conveyed not that Eli created the record.

A clear precedent for creating family records. Two pen-and-ink doc- only family identity but also individvery personal family records is found uments made by "C—" for Massa- ual accomplishment or academy in the widespread tradition of preserv- chusetts farm families from around training (a fine calligraphic hand or a ing family data in a written form 1810 to about 1820 are owned by the mastery of line, ornament, and symwithin the household, specifically the Connecticut Historical Society. One bolism, for instance). In the early custom of entering data in family of these, the family record of Daniel decades of the nineteenth century, Bibles or creating birth or marriage Hannum and Phebe Baggs, is identi- records of New England families records on loose pieces of paper. Such fied by its author as "no. 387," a clue were often conceived with a high documents were often created by ama- to the vast output of family record art degree of personalization. "A clear teurs or students as penmanship exer- by a single person. Some professional idea of a schoolmaster's role in these cises, but they were nearly as often the and amateur pieces from this period early pieces is seen in several examresemble their Pennsylvania-German ples in eastern Essex County [Massawork of professional scriveners.

In the 1800s several distinctive "fraktur" counterparts—a relationship chusetts]," writes Peter Benes of the record types appeared in New Eng- that has been studied by fraktur Dublin Seminar for New England

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 55

Folldife,"and in one case by a student who also identified his school and teacher,"5 referring to fourteen-yearold Daniel Moody Lancaster's 1809 Genealogical Family Piece. This family register, featuring a double heart motif and a vine-and-rose trellis border, records two marriages of Daniel Dodge and names both the Newbury East School and the artist's instructor, B.H. Cheever, at the bottom of the document. The circa 1815 Ketchum record preserves the history of a New England family on the move—Isaac Sherwood Ketchum and his wife, Anna Grenell, were born in Connecticut and later moved to New York; first to Saratoga County, then to the town of Pompey. Remarkable for its garish colors and extensive use of symbolism, the Ketchum family record features a pair of young ladies in lime green dresses and mobcaps, probably representing two of the Ketchums' six daughters. The girls hold bright red books, perhaps referencing their academic experience, and flank a central vignette of a ship—probably an allusion to naval actions during the War of 1812. Other symbols include a rising sun for births, paired hearts for marriage, and a winged hourglass ("time flies")for death.

Another unique form, the 22 x 28" Mann family chart, depicts four generations of male-line descendants of Reverend Samuel Mann of Wrentham, Massachusetts, in a constellation format, with the progenitor of the family in a central starburst. Small portraits of Reverend Mann and his father, William, occupy the upper left- and right-hand corners, and a legend in the lower left-hand corner reads: "William Mann the father of the Reverend Samuel Mann, Emigrated from the County of Kent in England, settled at Cambridge in Massachusetts, was the youngest child of Eleven & was born in the year 1607, & about the 30th year of his age was married to Mary Jerould, who also came from England, his Son Samuel an only child, was born in 1647 and was the first settled minister in the town of Wrentham, County of Norfolk Massachusetts from whom the Numerous Race of Manns descended."

Perhaps no icon is more directly associated with family his-

tory than the tree. Genealogist Maureen A. Taylor writes that "English and American traditions of the tree as a symbol of life and family descend from Old Testament religious symbolism, which in turn comes down, at least in part, from prehistoric beliefs."6 In the first survey of its kind, Taylor has identified more than fifty American family tree prints and lithographs, dating principally from a period between 1834 and 1895. The 1852 Peabody family tree printed by St. Louis lithographers L. Gast & Brother, depicts the descendants of Francis Peabody, who came to Ipswich, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1635. Represented as a large oak with eight heavy branches, the Peabody tree presents data for more than two centuries of the family's his-

tory in America. Francis Peabody is represented in a circle in the trunk of the tree, and the ship that brought him to America, the Planter, is also depicted near the horizon on the left.

Family history and folk art have long been intertwined. The meticulous artistic effort that went into the creation of such family records, whether they appeared in Bibles, portraits, charts, registers, or other media, indicates the reverence New Englanders held for their own families. In effect, these artistic forms represent American genealogy before a published literature on the subject existed, and their drawn, painted, or printed images add a human dimension to information that would otherwise be largely cold and merely statistical.*

DANIEL DODGE FAMILY REGISTER Daniel Moody Lancaster, Newbury East School, under the instruction of B. H. Cheever Newbury, Massachusetts 1809 Ink and watercolor on paper New England Historic Genealogical Society

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The Art of Family he New England Historic Genealogical Society in conjunction with Northeastern University Press is pleased to announce the release of The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England. Edited by D. Brenton Simons and Peter Benes, The Art of Family features 15 chapters by leading authorities in the fields of history, antiques, and genealogy.

Among it noted contributors are Pulitzer-prize winning author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (A Midwife's Tale and The Age ofHomespun), John Demos(The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America), Wendell Garrett (editor-atlarge of The Magazine Antiques), Jane C. Nylander (Our Own Snug Fireside:

FRANCIS PEABODY FAMILY TREE L. Gast & Brother Lithographers St. Louis, Missouri 1852 New England Historic Genealogical Society

D. Brenton Simons is assistant executive director ofthe New England Historic Genealogical Society, editor ofNew England Ancestors magazine, and originator and co-editor ofThe Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England (2002).

NOTES 1 David Allen Lambert,"The Family of Job Hill of Peterborough, New Hampshire," VF CS71/H647/2001 (typescript), New England Historic Genealogical Society.

2 Gloria Seaman Allen, Family Record: Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework(Washington,D.C.: DAR Museum, 1989), p. 2.

3 Lillian Drake Avery,A Genealogy of the Ingersoll Family in America, 1629-1925(New York: Grafton Press, 1926), p. 32.

4 Russell and Corinne Earnest,"Fraktur for New Englanders," New England Ancestors(Fall 2001), pp. 20-23.

5 Peter Benes,"Decorated New England Family Registers, 1770 to 1850," in The Art ofFamily: Genealogical Artifacts in New England,D. Brenton Simons and Peter Benes, eds.(Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002), pp.22-23.

6 Maureen A. Taylor,"Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow: The Family Tree Lithograph in America," The Art ofFamily, p. 75.

Images ofthe New England Home, 1760-1860), Betty Ring (Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers and Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850), Abbott Lowell Cummings(The Framed Houses ofthe Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725), and Maureen A. Taylor (Uncovering Your Ancestors Through Family Photographs). Also, Arthur and Sybil Kern, who have been regular contributors to Folk Art magazine, have written on the importance of genealogical methodology n researching early New England folk portraitists.

The Art ofFamily is illustrated with more than two hundred black and white illustrations and sixteen color plates, featuring many rare or never-before-published images. It is an essential source for genealogists, historians, collectors, curators, and general readers.

To order The Art ofFamily: $75 plus $4 shipping and handling r (book rate) or $6.50(UPS). Order online at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org, or call toll free 1-888-2963447(M窶認 9-5 EST), or by mail at NEHGS Sales Department, P.O. Box 5089, Framingham, MA 01701.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 57

AVAILABLE AT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM'S

BOOK AND GIFT SHOPS AMERICAN RADIANCE: THE RALPH ESMERIAN GIFT TO THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

By Stacy C. Hollander American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Hardcover, 572 pages; 440 full-color illustrations $75 US/$115 CAN Showcasing more than 400 outstanding works that comprise the Ralph Esmerian gift to the American Folk Art Museum, this sumptuous volume celebrates traditional American folk art in all its vibrant diversity. Combining new research, never-beforepublished color photographs, and detailed entries on each artwork, American Radiance is indispensable to students, collectors, and folk art enthusiasts.

DARGER: THE HENRY DARGER COLLECTION AT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

By Brooke Davis Anderson American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Hardcover, 128 pages; 114 full-color illustrations $29.95 US/$45 CAN Cataloging in full color the American Folk Art Museum's recent acquisition of 37 paintings, among other Darger works, this informative, yet affordable volume offers a general introduction to a controversial self-taught artist.

AMERICAN ANTHEM

AMERICAN ANTHEM: MASTERWORKS FROM THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

By Stacy C. Hollander, Brooke Davis Anderson, and Gerard C. Wertkin American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Hardcover, 432 pages; 293 full-color illustrations $65 US/$95 CAN A song of praise to the nation, American Anthem celebrates the symbols of liberty, ingenuity, and refuge indelibly embedded in American folk art from colonial days through the present. This book, and the accompanying exhibition, mark the first time that such a comprehensive selection of folk art masterworks have been made available to the public.

AMERICAN

BOOK AND GIFT SHOPS ARE LOCATED AT

0 LL MUSEUM

American Folk Art Museum 45 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10023 212. 265. 1040 www.museumshop.com

American Folk Art Museum Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Two Lincoln Square Columbus Avenue at 66th Street New York, NY 10023 212. 595. 9533, ext. 26

ANNOUNCEMENT

Museum Hours and Fees

OaPekte Tot/thew( sinCC 1920

AN1ERICAN

>

_1 0 7J U....

-H

MUSEUM

American Folk Art Museum 45 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212/265-1040 Admission: Adults

$9

Students

$5

Seniors

$5

Children under 12

Free

Members

Free

Friday evening Free to all

6:00-8:00 PM

Museum Hours: Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Sunday

10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Friday

10:00 AM-8:00 PM

Monday

Closed

Shop Hours: Daily

10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Friday

10:00 AM-8:00 PM

American Folk Art Museum Eva and Morris Feld Gallery Two Lincoln Square Columbus Avenue Between 65th and 66th Streets New York, NY 10023 Phone: 212/595-9533 Admission: All

Free

Museum and Shop Hours: 11:00 AM-7:30 PM Daily Monday

Representing the evocative paintings ofself-taught artist

Harriet Wiseman who portrays internal murals ofa life deeply lived.

www.galeriebonheur.corn

Ty appoiotment: (214) 992-9851 Ty gay: (214) 993-9260 10046 Conway cPoad St. oitis, Jitissoutti 63124 Ty ematO: gbonheuh@aoteont

11:00 AM-6:00 PM

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 59

MUSEUM

REPRODUCTIONS

PROGRAM

ALICE J. HOFFMAN FUNQuilts-quilts

FOLK ART

Representing more than 300 years ofAmerican design,from the late 1600s to the present, the American Folk Art Museum Collection rm brings within reach ofthe public the very best ofthe past to be enjoyedfor generations to come.

COLLECTION

New Directions *FUNQuilts One quilt at a time! ... Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, full-time professional quiltmakers and founders of FUNQuilts, a contemporary quilt design studio, have created Jewel Box, Ocean View, and Baby Waves,three limited-edition quilt series for the museum. Each quilt, made one at a time, is signed and dated on a label on the reverse side of the quilt. The fabrics are 100 percent cotton and can be machinewashed and dried. Jewel Box(36 x 36"), inspired by the Hummingbirds Quilt from the museum's Amish quilt collection, comes with hanging sleeve and bar.

Ocean View(48 x 72"), inspired by the museum's Amish quilt collection, is the perfect size for afternoon naps. Baby Waves (30 x 38"), a reversible baby quilt inspired by the exquisite stitching on Amish quilts from the museum's collection. Quilts are available through the museum Book & Gift Shops and nationwide. Contact FUNQuilts online at www.funquilts.com to find the nearest location.

News from Museum Licensees

Share our legacy; look for new products from our family of licensees, featuring unique designs inspired by objects from the museum's collection. * Galleon Crazy for puzzles!...

Galison reintroduced one of its most popular jigsaw puzzles featuring the Museum's S.H. Crazy Quilt(quiltmaker unidentified,

60 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

United States, 1885-1895) at the International Stationery Show in New York City in May. There are 500 pieces to fit together to create this masterpiece. The Crazy quilt era is generally dated from 1876, the year of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, to the beginning of the twentieth century. The maker of the S.H. Crazy quilt was evidently an avid embroiderer who even covered the seams of the quilt borders with delicate stitching. The puzzle is available at the museum's two Book & Gift Shops and in stores nationwide.

Contact Galison for a location nearest you. *Denyse Schmidt Quilts Up in Lights!...Single Girl, one of three limited-edition quilts created by Denyse Schmidt for the museum,is featured in the soon to be released full-length movie "Smack in the Kisser," starring Kirk and Michael Douglas. All three limited edition quilts by Denyse Schmidt, Single Girl, One Big Dog/homage to Bill Traylor, and Center Star, are currently on view at John Kelly Furniture in New York City (212/625-3355). See ad next page; to shop online for these products, visit www.denyse schmidtquilts.com. * Mary Myers Studio American Spirit! ... Mary Myers created two new nutcrackers in her series for the museum, Uncle Sam and Patriotic Red Dog. Celebrating the American spirit in all its glory, Mary's creations are deco-

Mary Myers-nutcrackers

ratively accessorized; Uncle Sam carries a period American flag in his right hand and holds a bald eagle in his left, while Patriotic Red Dog wears a flag neck scarf.

Nutcrackers are available nationwide. Contact Mary Myers for a location nearest you. * Takashimaya Reinventing tradition!... A contemporary vision inspired by the ideals of tradition is a perfect description of Takashimaya's new look for the American Folk Art Shops in its Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, and Osaka department stores in Japan.

Dear Customer Your purchase of museumlicensed products directly benefits the exhibition and educational activities of the museum. Thank you for participating in the Museum's continuing efforts to celebrate the style, craft, and tradition of American folk art. If you have any questions or comments regarding the American Folk Art Collection,' please contact us at 212/977-7170.

Family of Licensees American Pacific Enterprises(415/7821250)quilts, shams, and pillows. Carvin Folk Art Designs,Inc.(212/755-6474)gold-plated and enameled jewelry.* Concord Fabrics, Inc.(212/760-0343) printed fabric by the yard and prepackaged fabric craft kits. Denyse Schmidt Quilts(800/621-9017)limited edition quilt collection, decorative pillows and AFAM eye pillows.* Fotofolio (212/2260923)art postcard books, wooden postcards, boxed note cards, and magnets.* FUNQuilts (708/445.1817)limited edition quilt collection.* Galison (212/354-8840)boxed note cards and jigsaw puzzle.* LEAVES Pure Teas(877/532-8378)loose tea in decorative tins.* LiquidArt,Ltd.(312/644-0251)digital art reproduction screensavers. Manticore Inc. (800/782-2645) mouse pads, screen savers, coasters, note cubes. Mary Myers Studio (800/829-9603) wooden nutcrackers, nodders, and tree ornaments.* On The Wall Productions, Inc.(800/788-4044) Magic Cubes.* Organic Lands(607/544-1090)Organic deli items. Ozone Design,Inc.(212/563-2990) socks.* Takashimaya Company,Ltd. (212/350-0550) home furnishings and decorative accessories (available only in Japan).

Wild Apple Graphics, Ltd.(800/756-8359) fine art reproduction prints and posters.*

*Available in the American Folk Art Museum Book and Gift Shops. Find products online and visit our website at www.folkartmuseum.org

Denyse Schmidt Quilts and the American Folk Art Museum Collection

DENYSE SCHMIDT

QUILTS

FOLK ART COLLECTION

Introducing three limited-edition quilts

by Denyse Schmidt for the American Folk Art Museum Collection, inspired, interpreted or adapted from some of her favorite works in the museum. One Big Dog/Homage to Bill Traylor, inspired by an extraordinary drawing by folk artist Bill Traylor, is pieced and appliquĂŠd. Single Girl is Denyse's interpretation of the traditional Double Wedding Ring quilt design. Center Star is her adaptation of a whole cloth quilt from the i800s. Handmade of 100% cotton fabrics in her Connecticut studio, and quilted by Amish craftswomen.

Available in queen size, 86" x 86, $4800. toll-free 800-621-9017 www.denyseschmidtquilts.com

TRUSTEES/DONORS

AMERICAN

FOLK

ART

MUSEUM

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Ralph 0.Esmerian Chairman ofthe Board L. John Wilkerson President Frances Sirota Martinson Esq. Executive Vice President and Chairman, Executive Committee Lucy C.Danziger Executive Vice President Joan M.Johnson Vice President Bonnie Strauss Vice President Barry D. Brislcin Treasurer

Jacqueline Fowler Secretary Anne Hill Blanchard Joyce B.Cowin Samuel Farber Members Paul W.Caan Barbara Cate David L. Davies Jonathan Green

Susan Gutfreund Robert L. Hirschhorn Kristina Johnson, Esq. David Krashes Taryn Gottlieb Leavitt Nancy Mead George H. Meyer,Esq. Cyril I. Nelson Laura Parsons J. Randall Plummer

Julia T. Richie Margaret Z. Robson Selig D.Sacks, Esq. Nathaniel J. Sutton Trustees Emeriti Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Cordelia Hamilton George F. Shaskan Jr.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DONORS The American Folk Art Museum announced a $34.5 million campaign to construct and endow its new home on West 53rd Street.

As of March 8, 2002 the following donors have contributed $31,912,302: Marjorie W. Abel James & Gail Addiss Dr.& Mrs. Karl P. Adler Alconda-Owsley Foundation Judith Alexander George R. Allen/Gordon L. WyckoffRaccoon Creek Antiques American Capital Access American Folk Art Society Barbara Anderson Ingrid & Richard Anderson Mama Anderson Judy Angelo Cowen Foundation Marie T. Annoual Aame Anton Barbara Ardizone Marion Armstrong R.R. Atkins Foundation Lois S.& Gad Avigad Joan & Darwin Bahm Marcia Bain Lori Ann Baker, Baker & Co. Designs Ltd. Marianne E. Balazs Denny Beach Judy & Barry Beil in Honor of Alice & Ron Hoffman Bankers Trust Company Barn Star Productions, Inc. Didi & David Barrett Jimi Barton-Rhinebeck Antiques Fair Joyce & Ron Bassin/Bird In Hand Patricia Beatty Mary F. Beck Ellen Stone-Belic Philip & Leah Bell Laurine Hawkins Ben-Dov Mrs. Arthur M. Berger Julie M.Bernson Big Apple Wrecking & Construction Corporation Mrs. George P. Bissell Jr. Diana H. Bittel Edward V. Blanchard & M.Anne Hill Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund Lenore & Stephen Blank Bloomberg L.P. The Bodman Foundation Booth Ferris Foundation Robert, Katharine & Courtney Booth Catherine & Chris Botta Marilyn W.Bottjer Edith S. & Barry D. Briskin/Shirley K. Schlafer Foundation Susan Brodish Florence Brody Sheila & Auron Brog R. Scott Bromley The Brown Foundation, Inc. Houston.

Curtis F. Brown, Hayden Goldberg

U SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Mr.& Mrs. Edward James Brown Gail Brown Marc Brown & Laurene Krasny Brown J. Bruce Antiques Fred & Theresa Buchanan in Memory of Sybil Gibson Charles & Deborah Burgess Jim Butt Antique Shows The Burnett Group Marcy L. Bums/American Indian Arts Joyce A. Burns Paul & Dana Cams Lewis P. Cabot Elinor B.Cahn Mr.& Mrs. Donald Campbell Bliss & Brigitte Camochan Caterpillar Foundation John W.Castello in Memory of Adele Earnest Donald N. Cavanaugh & Edward G. Blue Edward Lee Cave Virginia G. Cave Shari Cavin & Randall Morris Peter P. Cecere Sharon S. Cheeseman Christie's Richard & Teresa Ciccotelli Barbara L. Claster Lori Cohen Alexis & George Contos in Memory of Daniel Cowin Mrs. Daniel Cowin Jeanne D. Creps Mr.& Mrs. Edgar M.Cullman Elissa F. & Edgar M.Cullman Jr. Joe & Joan Cullman Susan R. Cullman Catherine G. Curran Kendra & Allan Daniel David & Sheena Danziger Lucy & Mike Danziger Peggy & Richard M.Danziger David L. Davies Darwin/Carolinn Pocher & William Woody Vincent & Stephanie DiCicco H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Charles M. Diker Patricia McFadden Dombal Colette & Jim Donovan Doyle New York/Kathleen M.Doyle Deborah & Arnold Dunn Ray & Susan Egan Gloria Einbender Sharon & Ted Eisenstat Elitzer Family Fund in Honor of Anne Hill & Monty Blanchard David & Doris Walton Epner Joyce & Klaus Eppler Ralph 0.Esmerian Susan H. Evans in Memory of Heila D. Everard Sam & Betsey Farber Nancy Farmer & Everette James Deborah & Fishbein Mrs. Albert D. Freiberg Mike & Doris Feinsilber

Bequest of Eva & Morris Feld Elizabeth C. Feldmann M. Finkel & Daughter Fireman's Fund Insurance Company Alexander & Enid Fisher Laura Fisher/Antique Quilts & Americana Jacqueline Fowler Beverly Frank Gretchen Freeman & Alan Silverman Susan 0.Friedman Alvin E. Friedman-Kien, MD Furthermore,the publication program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund Galerie S. Etienne, Inc. Gallery of Graphic Arts, Ltd. Rebecca & Michael Ganizon Judy & Jules Garet Garth's Auctions, Inc. Sidney & Sandra Gecker Nancy Gerber Morad Ghaclarnian Sima Ghadamian James & Nancy Glazer Mr.& Mrs. Merle H. Glick Carla T. Goers Edith H.Golderg Russ & Karen Goldberger Mrs. Toni L. Goldfarb Tracy Goodnow Art & Antiques Ellin & Baron Gordon Howard Graff Jonathan Green Nancy M.& Ben S. Greenberg Greene & Mays American Antiques Marion E. Greene Blanche Greenstein & Thomas Woodard William & Shirley E. Greenwald Peg & Judd Gregory Audrey Elkinson Griff Bonnie Grossman/The Ames Gallery Pat Guthman Alan & Elaine Haid Rober & Linda Hall Cordelia Hamilton Ken & Debra Hamlett Nancy B. Hanson Jeanne & Herbert Hansell Deborah Harding Marion Harris & Jerry Rosenfeld Harvey Art & Antiques Audrey Heckler Donald Heller, Heller/Washam Nina Hellman Jeffrey Henkel Mr.& Mrs. George Henry Mr.& Mrs. Samuel Herrup Ann Hickerson & Martha Hickerson Antonio Hidalgo The High Five Foundation Frederick D. Hill Pamela & Timothy Hill Kit Hinrichs The Hirschhorn Foundation, Robert & Marjorie Hirschhorn, Carolyn Hirshhom Schenker Historical Society of Early American Decoration

Arlene & Leonard Hochman Mr.& Mrs. Joseph C.Hoopes, Jr. Carter G. Houck Sr. Evelyn Houlroyd Ellen E. Howe Mr.& Mrs. Philip Howlett Allen & Barry Huffman Peter D. Hynson Antiques Paul Ingersoll In the Beginning Fabrics Thomas Isenberg in Memory of Laura N.Israel Thomas & Barbara Israel The Jamison Williams Foundation Johnson & Johnson Joan & Victor Johnson Kristina Johnson Esq. Louise & George Kaminow Julie & Sandy Palley and Samuel & Rebecca Kardon Foundation Allan & Penny Katz Edwin U. Keates, MD Steven & Helen Kellogg Richard Kemble & George Korn, Forager House Collection Mrs. David J. Kend Leigh Keno Amy Keys Phyllis Kind Jacqueline & Jonathan King Joe K. Kindig IH Susan & Robert E. Klein Nancy Knudsen Nancy Kollisch & Jeffrey Pressman Greg K. Kramer David & Barbara Krashes Dr. Robert & Arlene Kreisler Sherry & Mark ICronenfeld Robert A. Landau Bruno & Lindsey LaRocca Michelle & Lawrence Lasser William & Karen Lauder Wendy & Mel Lavitt Mark & Taryn Leavitt The Edith and Herbert Lehman Foundation, Inc. in Memory of Henry J. & Erna D. Lair John A. Levin & Co., Inc. Bertram Levinston MD Levy Charitable Trust Judy Lewis The Liman Foundation Lipman Family Foundation The 2000 Lipman Fellows Bruce Lisman in Memory of Zeke Liverant Nancy MacKay Nancy & Erwin Maddrey Anne & Vincent Mai Maine Antique Digest Jolie Kelter & Michael Malce The Jane Marcher Foundation Harriet Marple Plehn Trust Paul Martinson, Frances Martinson & Howard Graff in Memory of Burt Martinson

TYYNE ESKO

Tyyne Esko (Finnish,b. 1920) A New Law

1985 oil/canvas 28 x 24"

Paintings, Politics and Poetry

LUISE

ROSS

GALLERY

568 Broadway New York 212 343-2161 www.luiserossgallery.com

DONORS

Mr.& Mrs. Christopher Mayer in Honor of Nancy Mayer Mrs. Myron Mayer Kerry McCarthy Milly McGehee Mr.& Mrs. Dana G. Mead Mary 0.Mecagni Robert & Meryl Meltzer Charles W. Merrels Evelyn S. Meyer George H. Meyer Jim & Enid Michelman Mrs. E.J. Milano Mr.& Mrs. Samuel C. Miller Judith & James Milne Jean Mitchell Sandra Moers Keith & Lauren Morgan Morris Levinson Foundation, Inc. Alden & Jane Munson Lucia Cirino Murphy Drew Neisser Cyril Irwin Nelson New York City Department of Cultural Affairs New York State Thurston Nichols Mr.& Mrs. Frank N. Norris, Jr. Northeast Auctions, Ronald Bourgeault Susan Nova Sally W.O'Day Odd Fellows Antiques Bequest of Manic Lou O'Kelley Olde Hope Antiques Cheryl Oppenheim & John Waters The Overbrook Foundation Patsy Palmer & Talbot D'Alemberte Virginia Parks Patemostro Investments Eloise Paula Rolando & Karin Perez Jan Petry

Philip Morris Companies,Inc. Elizabeth A. Pile Harvey S. Shipley Miller & J. Randall Plummer Frank & Barbara Pollack Lucile & Maurice Pollak Fund Wayne Pratt, Inc. Fran Puccinelli Jackie Radwin Teresa Ranellone Christopher T. Rebello Antiques Ricco/Maresca Gallery Julia & Leroy Richie Jeanne Riger Marguerite Riordan John & Margaret Robson Foundation Le Rowell Miss Virginia Carolyn Rudd F. Russack Antiques & Books,Inc. Selig D. Sacks Judith Sagan Mary Sams-Ballyhack Antiques Jack & Mary-Lou Savitt Peter L. Schaffer Carol Peden Schatt Shirley K. Schlafer Memorial Fund in Memory of Esther & Sam Schwartz Marilyn & Joseph Schwartz The Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia Phyllis & Al Schick The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation Jean S. & Frederic A.Sharf In Honor of George Shaskan The George and Myra Shaskan Foundation, Inc. Roz & Steve Shaw Arthur & Suzanne Shawe Elle Shushan Jo Sibley John Sideli Eleanor R. Siegal Francisco F. Sierra

Elizabeth Silverman Skinner,Inc., Auctioneers and Appraisers of Antiques and Fine Art Sanford L. Smith & Patricia Lynch Smith Sarah Barr Snook Elliott & Grace Snyder Mr.& Mrs. Peter J. Solomon Sotheby's Maxine Spiegel The Splendid Peasant/Martin & Kitty Jacobs Nancy T.& Gary J. Stass Frederick Stecker Stella Show Mgmt. Co. Su-Ellen Stem Tamar Stone & Robert Eckstein Rachel & Donald Strauber Bonnie & Tom Strauss The R. David Sudarsky Charitable Foundation Nathaniel J. Sutton Leslie Sweedler John & Catherine Sweeney William Swislow Takashimaya Co., Ltd. Connie Tavel Richard & Maureen Taylor Nancy Thomas David Tieger Tiffany & Co. Jeffrey Tillou Antiques Peter Tillou Pamela P. Tisza Jean I. & Raymond S. Troubh Fund Tucker Station Antiques Karen Ulfers Joseph Del Valle Lee & Cynthia Vance Jacob & Ray Van Gelder Bob & Ellie Vermillion Joan & Clifford Vemick Joseph & Meryle Viener

Robert E. Voelklg David & Jane Walentas Jennifer Walker Clifford A. Wallach Irene N. Walsh Don Walters & Mary Benisek Warburg Pincus The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Elizabeth & Irwin Warren Nani S. Warren Martha Watterson Weeden Brothers: Bill, Alan, Jack & Don Mr.& Mrs. Alan N. Weeden Weil, Gotshal & Manges LIP Frederick S. Weiser David M. Weiss Jay & Meryl Weiss Julia Weissman Ed Weissman Mr.& Mrs. Peter Wells Ben Wertkin David Wheatcroft Harry Wicks Donald K. Wilkerson, MD John & Barbara Wilkerson Nelson M. Williams John Wilmerding Charles & Phyllis Wilson Robert & Anne Wilson Dr. Joseph M.& Janet H. Winston Susan Yecies J. Evelyn Yoder Valerie Young Shelly Zegart Antique Quilts Malcah Zeldis I. H.& Birgitta X.L. von Zelowitz Bernadette Mary Zemenick Steven J. Zick Jon & Rebecca Zoler Anonymous

RECENT DONORS FOR EXHIBITIONS AND OPERATIONS—as of April 2002 The American Folk Art Museum greatly appreciates the generous support of the following friends: $100,000 and above Carnegie Corporation of New York The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation John & Margaret Robson Two anonymous donors $99,999—S50,000 Lucy C.& Frederick M.Danzinger Samuel & Betsey Farber Jacqueline Fowler Mr.& Mrs. Vincent Mai Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. New York State Department of Parks & Recreation Two anonymous donors $48,999—$20,000 The ACTUS Foundation Edith S. & Barry D. Briskin Burnett Group Joseph F. Cullman 3rd David L. Davies & Jack Weeden Ralph 0.Esmerian Virginia S. Esmerian Robert & Luise lUeinberg Barbara & David ICrashes Mr.& Mrs. Lawrence J. Lasser Taryn & Mark Leavitt Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund Mr.& Mrs. Dana G. Mead J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Inc. National Financial Partners Mr. & Mrs. Richard D.Parsons

64 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Pfizer, Inc. Philip Morris Companies Inc. J. Randall Plummer The Ridgefield Foundation Selig D. Sacks Elizabeth & Geoffrey A.Stem Barbara & Thomas W.Strauss Fund The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. John & Barbara Wilkerson Two anonymous donors 0.9,999—$10,000 AOL Time Warner, Inc. Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. Edward V. Blanchard & M. Anne Hill Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Brooklyn Digital Foundry The John R. and Dorothy D. Caples Fund Citigroup, Inc. Country Living magazine Mrs. Daniel Cowin William Doyle Galleries Douglas E. Ente in Memory of Ellin Ente FleetBoston Financial Foundation Furthermore, the publication program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund Mr.& Mrs. John H. Gutfreund Joan M.& Victor L. Johnson Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Employee Matching Gifts Program The Robert and Luise Kleinberg Fund at the Jewish Corrununal Fund Lair Charitable Trusts The Lipman Family Foundation, Inc. George H. Meyer,Esq.

Mr. & Mrs. Keith Morgan The Parsons Family Foundation The Pinkerton Foundation Dorothea & Leo Rabldn Julia T.& Leroy Richie The Judith Rothschild Foundation The Shirley Schlafer Foundation Schlumberger Foundation, Inc. Sotheby's Nathaniel J. Sutton The Tomorrow Foundation Tenneco The Wilkerson Family Charitable Lead Trust One anonymous donor $9,999—$4,000 ABC,Inc. Amiens Foundation, Inc. The Bay Fund Jessica & Natan Bibliowicz Edward J. & Margaret Brown The Jay Chiat Foundation Con Edison Colgate-Palmolive Company Deutsche Bank Steven Ente in Memory of Ellin Ente Evelyn Frank in Honor of Myra & George Shaskan Eric J.& Anne Gleacher Goldman,Sachs & Co. Mr.& Mrs. Richard Herbst Stephen M.Hill Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Jerry & Susan Lauren The Magazine Group

Marstrand Foundation Marvin Kagan,Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Gerald M.Lodge The Mattie Lou O'Kelley Memorial Trust MBNA America, N.A. New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Paul & Judy Patemostro Ricco/Maresca Gallery Robert and Dale Rosen Charitable Foundation The Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation,Inc. The William P. & Gertrude Schweitzer Foundation, Inc. The George F. and Myra Shaskan Foundation, Inc. Louise M.Simone/Manoogian Simone Foundation David Teiger Bennett & Judie Weinstock Gerard C. Wertkin Robert N. Wilson/Pheasant Hill Foundation Two anonymous donors $3,999—$2,000 Alvan & Claude Bisnoff Robert & Kathy Booth Richard & Marian Boll Charles E. Culpeper Fund Allan & Kendra Daniel Peggy & Richard M. Danziger Maureen D. Donovan Duane, Moms & Heckscher T.J. Dermot Dunphy Mr.& Mrs. Alfred C. Eckert HI

DONORS

Fastsigns Burton & Helaine Fendelman in Memory of Ellin Ente Barry & Merle Ginsburg Vim Hladun Goldman Elise Goldschlag & Kevin Lundeen Su-Ellyn Goldstein Jeffrey & Lisa Grand Terry B. Heled Kristina Johnson, Esq. JoCarole &.Ronald S. Lauder Allan & Penny Katz Dan W.Lufkin & Silvia Kramer Mary & Stephen Meadow Neuberger Berman,LLC Robert & Stephanie Olmsted Anthony J. Petullo Foundation,Inc. The Mayer-Phillips Foundation Mr.& Mrs. J. Jefferson Miller II Joan & Martin Messinger Donald & Cynthia Murphy Gladys Nilsson & Jim Nutt Marguerite & Arthur Riordan John R. Robinson, Esq. William D. Rondina DeraId & Janet Ruttenberg Peter L. Schaffer Carol P. Schatt R. Scudder & Helen Smith Raymond & Linda Simon Richard & Stephanie Solar Mr.& Mrs. David Stein Donald & Rachel Strauber Barbara Trueman Don Walters & Mary Benisek Irwin H.& Elizabeth V. Warren The Zankel Fund One anonymous donor $1,999â&#x20AC;&#x201D;$1,000 Mr.& Mrs. A. Marshall Acuff, Jr. Ted Alfond Jamie Davis Anchin Deborah & James Ash Jeremy L. Banta Didi & David Barrett Marvin & Jill Baten Daniel Berman Mark C. Biderman Mrs. Peter Bing Mr.& Mrs. Julies A. Block Thomas Block & Marilyn Friedman Rhoda & Gerald Blumberg Betsy Bogner Mr.& Mrs. Bernard Brennan IV Marvin & Lois P. Broder/Lucile & Maurice Pollak Fund Brenda Brody Meredith Brown Charles & Deborah Burgess Paul & Dana Cam Marjorie Chester Circuit City Foundation Citicorp Foundation Matching Gifts Program Liz Claiborne Foundation The Coach Dairy Goat Farm Mr.& Mrs. Edgar M.Cullman Susan R. Cullman William Cyr Aaron & Judy Daniels Michael Del Castello David & Sheena Danziger Gary Davenport James Asselstine & Bette J. Davis Derrel B. DePasse Kathleen M.Doyle Louis Dreyfus Corporation Nancy Druclanan Arnold & Debbie Dunn The Echo Foundation The Charles Edlin Family Charitable Foundation

Gloria G. Einbender Joanne Feil Janey Fire & John Kalymnios Laura Fisher/Antique Quilts & Americana Florian Papp,Inc. Charlotte Frank Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation Jill Gallagher Daniel M.Gantt David A. Gardner Mr.& Mrs. James R. Gardner Roger L. Garrett Mr.& Mrs. Bruce Geismar Mrs. Bruce Gimbel Dr. Kurt A. Gitter & Ms. Alice Yelen Barbara Gordon & Steve Cannon Baron J. & Ellin Gordon Jonathan Green Studios, Inc. Susan Green Nancy & Ben Greenberg Fund Gayle Greenhill Cordelia Hamilton Mr.& Mrs. James Harithas Thomas Isenberg Theodore J. Israel Mr.& Mrs. Thomas C. Israel Louise & George ICaminow Richard T. Kanter Joel & Kate Kopp Mr.& Mrs. Abraham Krasnoff Robert A. Landau Naomi Leff Glorya & Fred Leighton Barbara S. Levinson Mr.& Mrs. Carl M.Lindberg Ronnie Livia Carl D. Lobel]& Kate Stettner Macy's East Nancy B. Maddrey Jane Marcher Charitable Foundation Michael T. Martin C. Mattsson The Helen R.& Harold C. Mayer Foundation Mrs. Myron L. Mayer Jonathan Miller & Phyllis Winstral Judith & James Milne Kathryn Morrison Judith & Bernard Newman David O'Connor Philip V. Oppenheimer & Mary Close Mr.& Mrs. Francis C. Parson, Jr. Robert & Marianne Polak Polo Ralph Lauren Mr.& Mrs. Mortimer Propp Jack & Roberta E. Rabin Jean Rather Irene Reichert Mr. & Mrs. Keith Reinhard Paige Rense Betty Ring Cheryl Rivers & Steve Simons William D. Rondina Mr.& Mrs. Daniel Rose Mr.& Mrs. Jeff T. Rose Howard J. Rubenstein Stella Rubin Antiques Riccardo Salmona The San Diego Foundation Channaine & Maurice Kaplan Fund Mr.& Mrs. Henry B.Schacht Paul & Elizabeth Schaffer Kerry Schuss Mr.& Mrs. Marvin Schwartz Philip & Cipora Schwartz SemJitz Glaser Foundation Harvey S. Shipley Miller Myron B.& Cecile B. Shure Hardwicke Simmons Nell Singer Donna & Elliott Slade Mr.& Mrs. Richard Solomon Patricia & Robert Stempel

Su-Ellyn Stem Maryann Sudo Doris & Stanley Tananbaum Mr.& Mrs. Jeff Tarr Dennis Thomas Mr.& Mrs. James S. Tisch Mr. & Mrs. Laurence Tisch Peter & Lynn Tishman Mr. & Mrs. Barry Tucker Ms. Karel F. Wahrsager Mr.& Mrs. David C. Walentas Clinton Walker Foundation Jennifer Walker Mr.& Mrs. Charles G. Ward III Linda Waterman Alan N.& Barbara Weeden Donald & Pat Weeden Mr.& Mrs. John L. Weinberg Janis & William Wetsman G. Marc Whitehead Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates Michael Willoughby & Associates, Ltd. Mrs. Joseph M. Winston John & Phyllis Wishnick Laurie Wolfe & Ann C.S. Benton Teri Wilford Wood & John Busey Wood Anonymous in Honor of Gerard C. Wertldn Yale R. Burge Antiques Four anonymous donors $999â&#x20AC;&#x201D;$500 The Acorn Foundation Alexander Gallery Ms. Mary Lou Alpert Richard C.& Ingrid Anderson Robert & Wendy Adler Anthony Annese Anton Haardt Foundation Mr.& Mrs. Al Bachman Joel Banker Frank & June Barsalona Mr.& Mrs. Barry Beil Charles Benenson Leonard Block Dena Bock Jeffrey & Tina Bolton Marilyn & Orren Bradley Marc & Laurie Krasny Brown Deborah Bush Miriam Calm Laurie Carmody Marcy Carsey Mr.& Mrs. Dick Cashin The Chase Manhattan Foundation Matching Gift Program Mr.& Mrs. Robert Cochran Maggie Cohen Kathleen Cole Mrs. Phyllis Collins Stephen H. Cooper & Prof. Karen Gross Country Floors,Inc. Judy Cowen Michael F. Coyne & Monica Longworth Karen L.Cramer Simon Critchell Mary G. Cullen Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Cullman Kathryn M.Curran Debevoise & Plimpton Dr. Janet L. Dentin' ger Don & Marion DeWitt Mr.& Mrs. Gerald T. DiManno Michael Donovan & Nancye Green Cynthia Drasner Edward Clifford Durrell III Shirley Durst Mr.& Mrs. James A. Edmonds,Jr. Raymond C.Egan Mr.& Mrs. Alvin Einbender Gloria Einbender Epstein Philanthropies Ross & Gladys Faires

Robert & Bobbie Falk Jessie Lee Farber Burton & Helaine Fendelman Mr.& Mrs. Scott Fine Annie Fisher Erin Flanagan Jane Fonda Ken & Brenda Fritz Denise Froelich Dale G. Frost Gail Furman,Ph.D. Gemini Antiques, Ltd. Margaret A. Gilliam Elizabeth Gilmore William L. & Mildred Gladstone Henry Goldstein & Linda Broessel Kelly Gonda Mrs. Terry S. Gottlieb Howard M.Graff Peter T.& Laura Grauer Robert M.Greenberg Nanette & Irvin Greif Ronald & Susan L. Grudziecki Susan Rosenberg Gunman Irwin & Marjorie V. Guttag Foundation in Memory of Ms. Frances Vogel Mr.& Mrs. William P. Hayes Audrey B. Heckler Mr.& Mrs. Tom Hess Stephen Hessler & Mary Ellen Vehlow Leonard & Arlene Hoclunan Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hodes John & Laima Hood Pamela J. Holes Mr.& Mrs. Fred Imbennan Michael T. Incantalupo Mr.& Mrs. Ken Iscol Pepi & Vera Jelinek Betty Wold Johnson & Douglas F. Bushnell Brenda L. Johnson Guy Johnson Maurice & Charmaine Kaplan Nancy Karlins-Thoman Sherry Kass & Scott Tracy Mr.& Mrs. Martin Katz Steven & Helen Kellogg Ms.Joan E. Kend Arthur & Sybil Kern Mary Kettaneh John J. Kirby, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Michael Klein Barbara S. Klinger Sherry Kronenfeld Mr.& Mrs. Theodore A. Kurz Elizabeth Larson Nancy Lasalle Laura Lauder Mr.& Mrs. Leonard A. Lauder Wendy & Mel Lavitt Sam and Stephanie Lebowitz Judith Lewis Robert A. Lewis Stanley A. Lewis Lewis Mittman,Inc. Sherwin & Shirley Lindenbaum Gloria & Patrick Lonergan Esperanza G. Martinez Mr.& Mrs. Jonathan Marvel Al Marzorini Chriss Mattsson Kelley McDowell Emily McMahon M.P. McNellis Grete Meilman Mr.& Mrs. Robert Meltzer Michael & Gael Mendelsohn Robert & Joyce Menschel Evelyn S. Meyer Frank J. Miele Michael & Pamela Miles Timothy & Virginia Millhiser Joy Moos

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 65

DONORS

.1 \1 ERSIb t ANTIQUES SHOW August 6,7&8 Tuesday, 5-9Pm, Wednesday, 1-7Pm Thursday, 12-4Pm Admission $10

Canal Street State Armory 1059 Canal St., RT. 293, Exit 6, over Amoskeag Bridge

MANCHESTER, NH A cornerstone of "Antiques Week in New Hampshire", this show is a favorite source of outstanding examples of painted and high country furniture, fine formal furniture and choice decorative accessories.

Free Parking • Cafe • On-Site Shipper

A FORBES & TURNER ANTIQUES SHOW (207)767-3967•Email LindaT@Tnainextcom www.forbesandturnetcom

Kathy S. Moses Museums New York Leslie Muth Gallery Ann & Walter Nathan Cyril I. Nelson Mr.& Mrs. Bruce Newman Rachel B. Newman David Nichols Nancy Ann Oettinger Olde Hope Antiques,Inc. Mr.& Mrs. John E. Oilman Paul L. & Nancy Oppenheimer David Passennan Bob Patton & Busser Howell Dr. Burton W.Pearl Janet S. Petry Mr.& Mrs. Terry Pillow Mr.& Mrs. Laurence B. Pike Daniel & Susan Pollack Mr.& Mrs. F.F. Randolph, Jr. Toby & Nataly Ritter Dr. & Mrs. Roger Rose Abbey Rosenwald Robert A. Roth Frank & Nancy Russell Johnes Ruta Merilyn Sandin-Zarlengo Mr.& Mrs. Robert T. Schaffner Jane A. Shallat Paul J. Schaff Margaret Schmidt Mr.& Mrs. Carl J. Schmitt Mr.& Mrs. Jospeh D. Shein Robert & Minda Shein Mr.& Mrs. Ronald Shelp Bruce B. Shelton Joel & Susan Simon Philanthropic Fund Michael Simon

Arun & Barbara Singh Arthur M. Siskind & Mary Ann Siskind Rita A. Sklar John & Stephanie Smither Theresa Snyder Karen Sobotka Peter J. Solomon Kathryn Staley Mrs. Victor Studer Victor Studer Memorial Fund Jane Supino Phyllis Tepper Memorial Fund Barbara & Donald Tober Foundation Mr. Frank Tosto Dorothy C.Treisman Milton Trexler & Lisa Carling Mr.& Mrs. Raymond S. Troubh Tucson Quitters Guild United Way of Dutchess County Angela Usrey Mr.& Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt Mr.& Mrs. Joseph Viener Robert & Ruth Vogele Brenda Weeks-Nerz Herbert Well in Honor of Bennett Weinstock from his Friends Judy & Harold Weissman Richard & Margaret Wenstrup Mr.& Mrs. C. A. Wimpfheimer Susi Wuennenberg Tim & Nina Zagat Diana Zanganas Louis & Susan Zinterhofer Jon & Rebecca Zoler Benjamin & Barbara Zucker Two anonymous donors

JEAN LIPMAN FELLOWS Jeremy L. Banta Mr. Ronald Bourgeault Mary Benisek & Don Walters Edith S. Briskin Edward & Margaret Brown Virginia G. Cave Marjorie Chester Nancy Druckman Andrew Ecllin Gloria Einbender Su-Ellyn Goldstein Peter & Barbara Goodman Howard M.Graff Mr. Richard W.Herbst Harvey Kahn Susan Kleckner Susan & Jerry Lauren Mr.& Mrs. Gerald M.Lodge

Eric J. Maffei Anne & Jeff Miller Keith Morgan Wendy Nadler J. Randall Plummer Cheryl Rivers Luise Ross Carol Peden Schatt Donna & Marvin Schwartz Jean S. & Frederic A.Sharf Harvey S. Shipley Miller Linda & Ray Simon Mr.& Mrs. R. L. Solar Mr. William W.Stahl Jr. Donald & Rachel Strauber Tracy Goodnow Art & Antiques Dr. Sin von Reis Elizabeth V. Warren

RECENT DONORS TO THE COLLECTIONS

-rEscoRcos TRADING COMPANY www.tesoros.corn FOLK ART & OTHER TREASURES FROM AROUND THE WORLD RETAIL: 209 CONGRESS AVENUE• AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 •512 /479-8377 WHOLESALE: 512 / 479-8341

56 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Gifts Judith Alexander Barbara Blank & Barry Shapiro Peter P. Cecere Anna K.Conti David L. Davies Mike & Lucy Danziger Ralph 0. Esmerian Virginia Esmerian Zipporah Fleisher Jacqueline Fowler Ruth P. Horwich Thomas Isenberg

Kristina Johnson Arthur & Sybil Kern Ed & Lee Kogan Stephanie Fowler Levin Frank Maresca George H. Meyer Mr.& Mrs. Richard A. Moore,Jr Cyril Irwin Nelson Sanford L. Smith Scudder Smith Bonnie & Tom Strauss Kurt Gitter & Alice Rae Yelen Gregory Warmack as Mr. Imagination L. John Wilkerson

Visionary, Self Taught, Folk Art Fair ** 8th Successful Year **

DON'T WALK

RUN!!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND August 30 - September 1 JUDITH RACHT GALLERY 13707 Prairie Road Harbert, Michigan 49115 1 hour 10 minutes from Chicago

Friday, August 30 Opening Night Party 6-9 p.m.(MI Time) Music by Patent Medicine Band Friday Night Opening Party Plus All Weekend Admission $10.00 Saturday, August 31

10-6 â&#x20AC;˘ Sunday, September 1 10-5 S5.00

THE MOST FUN WEEKEND IN HARBOR COUNTRY For more information call 616.469.1080 Portion of admission donated to the Stenn Fund for Ovarian Cancer

BOOKS

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REV.JOHNNIE SWEARINGEN0SYBIL GIBSON JIMMY LEE SUDDUTH 0 MARY T. SMITH ROYAL ROBERTSON 0REGINALD MITCHELL

www•YARDDOG.com

he following recent titles are great gift-giving ideas. All titles are available at the American Folk Art Museum's Book and Gift Shops at 45 West 53rd Street and Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets), New York City. To order, please call 212/265-1040.

Museum members receive a 10 percent discount.

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American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum, Stacy C. Hollander, Brooke Davis Anderson, and Gerard C. Wertkin, American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, 2001,432 pages,$65

1510 S. Congress Austin, TX 78704 512.912.1613

mismir

JOHN C. HILL 6962 E. 1st Ave. Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

ANTIQUE INDIAN ART (480)-946-2910 antqindart@aoLcom

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, Stacy C. Hollander, American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams,2001,572 pages,$75 The Art of William Edmondson, Cheekwood Museum of Art/ University Press of Mississippi, 2000,256 pages,$30 Darger: The Henry Darger Collection ofthe American Folk Art Museum, Brooke Davis Anderson, American Folk Art Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, 2001, 128 pages, $29.95 Decoys: North America's One Hundred Greatest, Loy S. Harrell Jr., Krause Publications, 2000, 208 pages, $49.95 Henry Darger:In the Realms of the Unreal, John MacGregor, Delano Greenidge Editions, 2001,680 pages, $65

"Spirit Figures" by Alfred Charlie Willeto(1905-1965) Navajo, circa 1960-65

88 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Home Sweet Home: The House in American Folk Art, Deborah Harding and Laura Fisher, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2001, 160 pages,$50 Long May She Wave: A Graphic History ofthe American Flag, Kit Hinrichs and Delphine Hirasuna, Ten Speed Press, 2001, 223 pages,$60 Mississippi Quilts, Mary Elizabeth Johnson, University Press of Mississippi/Mississippi Quilt Assoc., 2001, 224 pages,$30 Painting by Heart: The Life and Art of Clementine Hunter, Louisiana Folk Artist, Shelby R. Gilley, St. Emma Press, 2000, 180 pages,$50 Quilting Traditions: Piecesfrom the Past,Patricia T. Herr, Schiffer Publishing, 2000, 160 pages, $29.95 Ralph Fasanella's America,Paul S. D'Ambrosio, New York Historical Association, 2001, 176 pages, $39.95 Red & White: American Redwork Quilts and Patterns, Deborah Harding, Rizzoli, 2000,two volumes, 144 pages and 64 pages, boxed,$39.95 Snowflakes & Quilts, Paula Nadelstem,C & T Publishing, 2001, 112 pages, $24.95 Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art, Volume One,Paul Arnett and William Arnett, eds., Tinwood Books,2000,568 pages, $95 Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art Volume Two, Paul Arnett and William Arnett, eds., Tinwood Books,2001,612 pages, $100

SUMMER

PROGRAMS

Unless otherwise specified, all programs are held at the American Folk Art Museum,45 West 53rd Street, New York City. Programs are open to the public, and admission fees vary. For more information, please call the education department at 212/265-1040, ext. 102, or pick up the museum's Public Programs brochure.

THREE ON THREE Join three folk art scholars as they speak on three of their favorite subjects in "American Anthem: Masterworks From The Permanent Collection." $15 General $10 Members,seniors, and students Three on Three: Contemporary Choices Wednesday,July 24 6:00-7:30 PM Brooke Davis Anderson, director and curator ofthe museum's Contemporary Center Lee Kogan, director, Folk Art Institute, curator ofspecial projectsfor the museum's Contemporary Center Cheryl Rivers, contributor to American Anthem: Masterworks from the Permanent Collection

Holly Hotchner, director, American Craft Museum David McFadden,chiefcurator, American Craft Museum $15 General $10 Members, seniors, and students AFTERNOON PROGRAMS

Wednesdays at 1:30 PM Free with museum admission Food, Glorious Food!

June 12 Peter G. Rose,food historian Visualizing New York July 31 Malcah Zeldis, artist American Breakdown August 21 Ray Alden & Shlomo Pestcoe, musicians

Presentation and Hands-On Workshop September 11 Memorial Quilt Squares Tuesday,September 10 1:30 PM Presentation and Discussion Communal Choices Friday, September 13 6:00 PM Presentation and Writing Workshop Saturday, September 14 3:00 PM For Families Presentation and Hands-on Workshop All Hands: The Firefighter Patch Project Sunday,September 15 2:00 PM

ALMS ON FRIDAY AFTERNOONS

Three on Three: Folk Art Favorites Wednesday, July 31 6:00-7:30 PM Gerard C. Wertkin, director, American Folk Art Museum Stacy C. Hollander,senior curator, American Folk Art Museum Elizabeth V. Warren, contributor to American Anthem: Masterworks from the Permanent Collection

Fridays at 1:30 PM Free with museum admission A series featuring screenings of documentary films and videos on the work and life of folk artists.

June 21 and June 28 July 19 and July 26 August 23 and August 30 Forfilm titles, please consult the Summer Public Programs brochure.

PRESENTATION Craft and Folk: Confusion and Clarification Friday, September 27 6:00-7:30 PM Gerard C. Wertkin, director, American Folk Art Museum Stacy C. Hollander, senior curator, American Folk Art Museum

REFLECTIONS ON SEPTEMBER 11 Free with museum admission Guided Tours Creating a Dialog: Selected Objects From "Masterworks" Tuesday through Friday, September 10-13 at 3:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15 1:00 PM and 3:00 Pm

TAKE A BREAK FOR FOLK ART Informational Lunchtime Talks With Museum Curators Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM Free with museum admission Looking at Darger June 6 and June 20 (at 45 West 53rd Street) June 27 and July 11 (at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery, Two Lincoln Square)

FAMILY ART WORKSHOPS Sundays, 2:00-4:00 PM Free with museum admission Madelaine Gill,family programs coordinator June 16 Pinwheels June 30 Liberty July 14 Away We Go July 28 Dream Places Aug. 11 Play Ball Paper Quilts Aug. 25 Riding Around SPECIAL EVENT Artist Mr. Imagination leads hands-on workshops Bottle Cap Rattles Friday, July 12 11:00 AM- 3:00 PM Memory Bottles/Memory Shoes Saturday, July 13 11:00 AM- 3:00 PM EXTRAORDINARY MUSIC Free with museum admission Saws That Sing!

Natalia Paruz, musical saw player Saturday, July 20, 2:00 PM (at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery, Two Lincoln Square) Spoons That Ring!

Musician Joseph Jones, also know as "Mister Spoons" Saturday, August 3,2:00 PM (at 45 West 53rd Street) CAMP PROGRAMS

Highlighting Masterworks July 18, August 1, August 8, and August 29 (at 45 West 53rd Street) Jacob Kass: A Closer Look July 25 and August 22 (at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery, Two Lincoln Square)

Day Camp programs are offered in July and August. Please call 212/265-1040,ext. 119,for details.

The museum's public programs are funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART U

COMPILED BY ICATHARINE CLARK

en the American Folk Art Museum opened ts extraordinary new building in December 2001, it was received with rave reviews. In the planning stages, however, all involved knew it would take a tremendous effort to see the colossal project through from start to finish. On the heels of that achievement,the museum took on another challenge in late January, The American Antiques Show (TAAS),a four-day benefit, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th St., New York City.

For 22 years, the American Folk Art Museum had been the beneficiary of The Fall Antiques Show Opening Night Preview.

When the former promoter announced in 2000 the discontinuation of the show,the museum was faced with the daunting task of creating its own benefit. With its mission in mind to foster the knowledge and appreciation of Americana and folk art, the museum prepared to host a show during New York City's Americana week,the third week of January. The museum staff, under the guidance of TAAS Executive Director Alice J. Hoffman, and TAAS Executive Chairs Barry Briskin and Joan Johnson, Regional Chairs from California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,Pennsylvania, and Virginia, as well as several TAAS Educational Chain Vera and Pepe Jelinek and Alyce and Roger Rose orchestrated TAAS 2002. The institution's goal was to create a four-star antiques show as well as a marketplace of ideas for both the connoisseur and the novice. With less than a year to organize the event, the committee knew it would take a tremendous effort to reach that goal.

Wi

With the help of44 prominent and spirited dealers from 15 states, The (first) American Antiques Show opened with the Inaugural Gala Benefit Preview on Wednesday,January 16th.

Although the door's officially opened at 5:00 P.M., a line of eager attendees formed by 3:45.

The dealers' booths were all exquisitely designed; dealers TAAS Team: Left to right: Sara Dobbis, Executive Director Alice J. Hoffman, Executive Co-Chair and showcased their best items. The Trustee Barry Briskin, and Eleanor Carlow Catering Company provided delicious culinary specialties for the first night; guests dined on mashed potato sundaes served in old-fashioned ice cream glasses and Yankee pot roast with gravy.

The show featured a wide spectrum of American antiques.

Jim and Julie Dale Among the items sold were 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century furniture painted with original surfaces and in the high country style, period accessories, samplers and needlework, quilts and coverlets, hooked and original rugs,jewelry, portraiture and Martha Stewart landscape paintings, weathervanes and whirligigs, floor, visitors ventured to an decoys, game boards, American upper level where a special exhilady and Beaman Welded( Indian artworks, pottery, trade bition,"America's Flower Garsigns, architectural and garden den," featured quilts from the items,tramp art, and objects from museum's permanent collection Shaker communities. By the end as well as floral displays by sevof the evening,red dots indicating eral of New York's fmest floral sold items were visible everydesigners, Philip Baloun, Gotham where. Several dealers even had Gardens, Talcashimaya, and Very to restock before the next day, Special Flowers. when TAAS officially opened to Many of TAAS educational the public. Over the course of the events sold out immediately."In next three days, visitors came the Company of Experts," a stroll from as near as 18th street and as through the show with antique far as Israel and Japan to attend. experts before TAAS opened to In addition to the main viewing the public;"In the Company of Co-Education Chairs: Pepe and Vera Jelinek

70 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Photography by Eli Ashkenazi

The American Antiques Show 2002

Co-Chair and Trustee Joan M. Johnson with husband Victor

Regional Chairs: Left to right: Jeffrey H. Pressman, California; David and Meg Nichols, Maine; Lawrence J. Lasser, Massachusetts; Lindsey La Rom,New Jersey; Elizabeth and Irwin Warren, New York; Robert and Katharine Booth, Pennsylvania; and Barbara Gordon, Virginia.

Americus Group Chairs: Left to right: David and Serena Bechtel, and Rebecca and Michael Gamzon

In the Company of Experts Walking Tour: tour leader John Hays, senior vice president, director of American decorative arts, Christie's.

Co-Education Chairs Alyce and Roger Rose enjoying America Tastes American Wines

In the Company of Experts Walking Tour: tour leader Nancy Druckman, senior vice president, director of American Folk art, Sotheby's.

In the Company of Experts Walking Tour: tour leader Paul D'Ambrosio, director of exhibitions and folk art, New York State Historical Association at Cooperstown.

Three appraisers behind the table: Helaine Fendleman, David Gallager, and Jane Willis.

Objects: What Is It worth?," during which individuals brought objects for appraisal; and "America Toasts," a tasting of American wines, were especially popular events."America Eats: American Fare Basic to Exotic," a silent auction, celebrated a range of American cuisine. Fine dining experiences were provided by some of New York's best restaurateurs and chefs from restaurants throughout the city such as Az, Cello, E.A.T., Eli's Manhattan, Inside, Judson Grill, Louis, Manhattan Fruitier, Nougatine,Palm, Park Avenue Café, Russ & Daughters, Tribeca Grill, and Union Square Café. For young collectors(under 40 years of age), the show included a "Friday Fest," complete with music, cocktails, a raffle, and dealer talks late into the evening.

Helaine Fendelman, David Gallager, and Jane Willis offered their expertise in appraising items, and TAAS guests had the opportunity to tour with guides John Hays of Christie's, Paul D'Ambrosio of the New York State Historical Association, Nancy Druckman of Sotheby's, and Lee Kogan of the American Folk Art Museum.

With TAAS 2002, the museum certainly achieved its goal. In a Friday article following the public opening, Grace Glueck of the New York Times stated,". . the museum is off to a solid start. Its lively mix would soften the most diehard art fair grinch." And although the planning of the show was at moments grueling, The American Antiques Show was hosted each day with the grace of Fame—the show's logo, delicately perched on one toe. As TAAS Executive Director Alice J. Hoffman enthusiastically exclaimed,"We did it! TAAS 2002 was a smashing success!"

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 71

2002 Outsider Art Fair n January of this year, the American Folk Art Museum hosted the tenth annual Outsider Art Fair Benefit Preview in SoHo. The three-day show has long drawn visitors—from avid collectors to artists on the edge— and it was with its characteristic eclectic atmosphere, that all celebrated the anniversary of one of New York's hippest and best contemporary art fairs. Hosted at the Puck Building, at the corner of Lafayette and Houston Streets, the fair began on Thursday, January 24 with the museum's Benefit Preview. Thirty-three galleries from Canada, England, France, Germany, Haiti, and the United States participated in the show, featuring a fresh range of contemporary folk art from well-know artists like Bill Traylor to recently renowned Jonathan Lerman to lesser-known and new coming artists. Attendees of the Benefit Preview enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and drinks by Great Performances Catered Events and music by "Mr. Spoons," Joseph Jones (spoon player), Carolina Slim Duo(blues duo—banjo and washboard),Zane Massey (saxophone), Sean Grissom (Cajun cello), and Wally Johnson (accordion).

The show was organized by Sanford L. Smith & Associates, and directed by Caroline Kenigan and Colin Lynch Smith.

Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn LLP was the corporate sponsor for the fair. The museum's Benefit Preview was orchestrated by museum special

1

events director Monique Brizz-Walker and coordinator Katie Hush along with Benefit Chairs Michael Donovan and Nancye Green, Richard and Amy Rubenstein, Selig and Angela Sacks; ViceSam Farber, John MacGregor, and Betsey Farber Chairs Audrey B. Heckler, Thomas Isenberg; Americus Chairs, Deborah and Charles Burgess, and Andrew Edlin.

In conjunction with the benefit, several educational programs and events were offered throughout the course of the fair. A raffle to benefit the museum was held on the Benefit Preview with nine prizes donated by: Carl Hammer Michael Donovan and Selig Sacks

Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco

Caroline genigan and Brooke Davis Anderson

Angela Sacks and Amy Rubenstein

Deborah and Charles Burgess

Celene Ryan and Scott Ogden

I./RCMP mg Thomas Isenberg

Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz

Barbara and John Wilkerson 72 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

TRAVELING

Gallery, Thomas Isenberg, Ricco/Maresca Gallery, J Crist Gallery, Luise Ross Gallery, Timothy Pith, Laurie Carmody for Galerie Bonheur, Sophie's Gallery, and Ken Heiser with the American Folk Art Museum.

A film series, Outside the Frame: Self Taught Artists on Film, co-organized by Sanford L. Smith & Associates, Caroline Kerrigan, Stephen Romano,and the American Folk Art Museum included the screening of The Living Museum and discussion with the Academy Awardwinning filmmaker Jessica Yu. On Thursday, the museum's Folk Art Explorers went on a day trip, Inside Outsider Art in New York, to visit artists and contemporary collections in New York City with the director of the museum's Contemporary Center Brooke Davis Anderson. On Saturday, under the guidance of Folk Art

Institute director, Lee Kogan,The Contemporary Center presented its annual symposium, Uncommon Artists X: A Series of Cameo Talks,in conjunction with New York University. The weekend's events ended on Sunday, with Anderson leading a curatorial tour, Theories on Darger, visiting both "Studies and Sketches: Henry Darger" at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery and "Darger: The Henry Darger Collection at the American Folk Art Museum" at West 53rd Street.

The museum would like to thank all of the artists, galleries, coordinators, contributors, and especially—all the attendees and contemporary folk art advocates who always make the Outsider Art Fair "out-of-the-ordinary"— and better every year.

Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates Win Top Design Award he American Folk Art Museum is pleased to announce that Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates, architects of its new building at 45 West 53rd Street, have received the prestigious New York City Masterworks Award for the Best New Building in 2001 from the Municipal Art Society and GVA Williams. The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS)is a private, non-profit organization that recognizes excellence in urban design and planning. Founded over a century ago by civic leaders, artists, and architects, the society has been a driving force behind the designation and preservation of New York's architectural landmarks. As one of the greatest

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honors bestowed to architects, the award is truly an indication of their well-renowned excellence.

The museum is proud of its new home and extremely grateful for having the opportunity to work with such talented individuals.

EXHIBITIONS

The American Folk Art Museum has an exciting selection of exhibitions for travel.

Currently availHOSPITAL 523-2311 /Sister Gertrude Morgan able to museums CHARITY 11900-19801/ New Orleans, Louisiana;/ n.d./ acrylic and cultural cen- and/or tempera, graphite and ball point ink on cardboard 1 2x 17"/ collection of Alvina and Paul ters are American with string / 13/ Haverkamp Anthem: Masterworksfrom the American Folk Art Museum,American Radiance: Selections from the Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum,Darger: The Henry Darger Collection at the American Folk Art Museum and Studies and Sketches: Henry Darger. The Museum also organizes and travels exhibitions of loaned objects. These include Painted Saws/Jacob Kass, Tools ofHer Ministry: The Art ofSister Gertrude Morgan,Adolf Wolfli (1864-1930)(working title), and The Synagogue and the Carousel: Jewish Woodcarving Traditions.

Mark your calendars for the following American Folk Art Museum exhibition when it travels to your area during the coming months: April 27—Aug. 24, 2002 ABCD: A Collection of Art Brut High Museum of Art Folk Art and Photography Galleries Atlanta 404/577-6940

April 19—June 15, 2003 Quilted Constructions: The Spirit of Design Fort Wayne Museum of Art Fort Wayne,Indiana 219/422-6467

Dec. 12, 2002—March 10, 2003 ABCD: A Collection of Art Brut Mennello Museum of American Folk Art Orlando, Florida 407/246-4278

April 26—June 29,2003 ABCD: A Collection of Art Brut Chicago Cultural Center Chicago 312/744-6330

Dec. 29,2002—Feb. 23,2003 Quilted Constructions: The Spirit of Design Butler Institute of American Art Youngstown, Ohio 330/743-1107

June 28—Aug. 23,2003 Quilted Constructions: The Spirit of Design The Nickle Arts Museum University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta, Canada 403/220-7234

For further information, please contact Judith Gluck Steinberg, director of traveling exhibitions, American Folk Art Museum, Administrative Offices, 1414 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-2514, 212/977-7170.

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 73

MUSEUM

NEWS

Museum's Design Firm

Young Poets Respond to Day Without Art

Wins Prestigious Award n Nov. 30,2001, the American Folk Art Museum hosted its annual Day Without Art at the museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery. Luna Luis Ortiz, an artist living with AIDS in New York City, presented an educational mixed-media film he created to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Karyn Kay's Creative Writing class from the neighborhood's La Guardia High School attended the event. After returning to La Guardia, Kay asked students to write poems in response to the presentation.

The poems were then compiled in a booklet titled "Reflections on Day Without Art." On March 1, 2002, students returned to the Feld Gallery for a breakfast and poetry reading. Please find three poems selected for special mention that day by the president of the American Poetry Society, William Louis-Dreyfus.

0 Elizabeth

Luna

Poem for Luna

When the moonlit skies no longer still my heart, And frost enshrines the brightest

Who is this man in a black turtleneck sweater who giggles like my sister How can this man speak so frankly about having Aids and being gay as if he's only had a cold for the past fifteen years and only been kissed on the cheek in a school yard game of cooties How can he take intimate pictures of his friends knowing they will die soon Watching him and listening to him I can't help but feel vulnerable.

Quite unfair the way the illness has no face Only a disguise to hide behind appearing friendly

summer day.

As rings of Saturn gently grow apart, They boldly sulk and spin the other way.

And if the sun should fall this very hour, And leave the stars to watch the Northern skies.

I would fear not its loss, nor would I cower, For sunshine lives within your blackbird eyes.

Those eyes I see that love me deep inside, So deep within to challenge at my fears.

As fears that writhe and wretch and do not hide, That melt, whenever I might taste your tears.

And now my fears come back to me to say, Perhaps you'll see your love again some day.

By Evie Falci

The cunning virus has a thirst for thriving Desires more bodies to captivate Defiling its victim, it invades at once.

Constraining actions lets us flee the ailment Being in control and pondering the outcomes A plan in mind, we are responsibly aware.

What have we not to live for?

We ought to be healthy and strong Mind, heart, and body Show considerable care for ourselves For if we do not, who will?

he Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD)recently gave Pentagram Inc., the American Folk Art Museum's signage firm, an honor award in the Placemalcing category of its 2002 Design Awards for the work that the firm did for the museum's new building. SEGD is an international nonprofit educational organization providing resources for design specialists in the fields of environmental graphic design, architecture, and AMERICAN landscape,interior, and industrial design.

SEGD members are leading designers of sign Li systems, destinaMUSEUNI tion graphics, identity programs,exhibits, and themed environments. This is a prestigious award in the design field, and the museum is proud of Pentagram's achievements and public recognition. Since opening in December,the museum has received many accolades for its building and exhibitions, and it is thrilled to add this one to the list.

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0

By Leah Rose Gilmore

By Mario J. Spinetti

vvooay rifle, rentagram uesigns, Inc.

74 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

MUSEUM

NEWS

IR\ TAIL NEW SHIPS

In Commemoration of September 11 n commemoration of September 11,the American Folk Art Museum will highlight traditional and contemporary works from the museum's permanent collection, on view from September 10-15 in the exhibition "American Anthem." Approximately 15 objects have been selected by a cross-section of museum staff and each artwork will be accompanied by a personal response. The selected objects are intended to address the multitude of feelings and ideas about America—particularly the United States. Folk art, by definition, celebrates the art and work

/

of"ordinary" people. From political activist Ralph Fasanella's Subway Riders to a 19th-century Map Quilt of the United States by an unidentified artist, to an early American Memorial to Washington, also by an unidentified artist, the show provides a glimpse of how many extraordinary folk artists express feelings of unity and diversity, national pride and personal grieving, sorrow and celebration. In conjunction with these selected works,programs will be offered including hands-on art and poetry workshops as well as a guided tour and presentations by artists and community leaders.

GARDE RAIL GALLERY

www.garde-rail.com Te1.206.721.0107 USS Kentucky photograph by Heather Taylor

Intuit Benefit Weekend September 20-22, 2002

THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM / Edward Hicks/ Pennsylvania /1846-1848 /oil on canvas/26 x 293/e / American Folk Art Museum, promised gift, P1.2001.59

Lunchtime Concerts at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery nWednesday, March 20, Juilliard students held a jazz performance at the American Folk Art Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Lincoln Square. Featured were Brendan Lee on trumpet and

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Craig Polasko on bass. The onehour performance drew a surprisingly large crowd for a rainy and dismal March day. This was the first of a series of such concerts that ran through April at the Feld Gallery.

• Benefit Auction • Collect-O-Rama (tented art sale) • Tours of Private Collections

Visit us at w

Intuit Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 312.243.9088 intuit@art.org

.art.org

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 75

MUSEUM

NEWS

7 10T. 1 11t, PAINTS

MUSKOKA view

MENDELSON JOE'S glorious folk art paintings represented by Karen S. Robinson 5 Duncan St. E.• Huntsville, Ontario, Canada Gallery 12-6, Wednesday—Sunday, June—October November—May open by appointment (705) 787-1664• www.ksrobinson.com

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Jose Garcia Montebravo (Cuba), 1999

Popular and Folk Art from Asia, Africa and the Americas Cuban Selftaught Art • Latin American Folk Art Haitian Paintings bVodou Flags •African Barber Signs Ethnographic Sculpture, Furniture &Textiles 151 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 215-922-4041

www.indigoarts.com

76 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

A Panel of Friends he American Folk Art Museum sponsored a two-day symposium,held on February 15 and 16, with the objective of taking a closer look at its current exhibition,"American Radiance." The program culminated in a panel discussion, titled "Passionate Pursuits," that was billed as an informal discussion among five friends on how passion drives a person's chosen pursuit and how,specifically, it had impacted their creativity in each of their disparate professions.

The discussion began with Ralph Esmerian, chairman of the museum's Board of Trustees, whose passions are well-known to readers of Folk Art and indeed to many folk art aficionados, scholars, and professionals.

Esmerian's fervor has resulted in his amassing what is considered a preeminent American folk art collection. The museum's current exhibition, is a testament to Esmerian's drive and creativity, as well as to his impeccable instinct for quality. But, exhibiting his characteristic humility, Esmerian did not focus on his own collecting passions and experiences. Instead, he went directly into introducing the rest of the panelists.

The other speakers were Daniel Brush, artist of miniatures in gold and other metals; William Poke,educator and headmaster of the Groton Preparatory School in Groton, Mass.; internationally known author and illustrator Maurice Sendak; and actor Sam Waterston. Although it initially appeared to be an incongruent choice of participants, it was soon revealed that three of them have known one another since they were students together at

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Groton, and that all five were well-acquainted. Their selfdeprecating comments and playful jibes at one another, which can only come from lifelong friendships, made for an informative and highly entertaining discussion.

In listening to Brush, it was apparent that his creativity is an all-consuming obsession, requiring a level of concentration and patience few could come close to achieving. Each of his miniature sculptures takes thousands of hours to create. Brush's artistic drive seems to have resulted in a virtual seclusion from the outside world, and he expressed extreme gratitude for his wife, Olivia,for allowing him such an intense immersion into his art.

Polk's talk on cultivating creativity had us engaged in a critical discussion of how schools, despite their necessary structure, need to nurture individuality and creativity. Schools are increasingly under pressure by regulators, as well as parents, who narrowly define success by a child's acceptance into a top college and preparation for a lucrative career. In our schools' existing curricula, unusual interests or unique talents are often ignored, if not intentionally discouraged,in favor of more guaranteed pathways toward achievement. Polk's passions lies in his commitment to making his school able to ready students for the realities of life and to develop their individual passions, no matter how unique.

Sendak enchanted the audience with stories of his childhood struggles in Brooklyn.

From an early age, he was different from the other kids around him—he was sickly, didn't like school very much, and wasn't

Outsider, SelfTaught, and Folk Art Annotated Bibliography Publications and Films ofthe 20th Century

very good at sports. But as long as he can remember, he found solace in reading, which led to a long and stellar career in the field of children's literature. His creativity eventually expanded into writing and illustrating, as well as set and costume design.

After a lifetime of success, he is now struggling with those who make creative decisions based on the bottom line rather than on the artist's unlimited imagination. Sendak made it clear that he will continue to let his passion rule his pen.

Waterston, known by millions for his leading role on NBC's Law and Order, spoke to the irony of trying to be creative within the confines of being a "gun for hire"; his creativity, he said, is often at the discretion of others, such as writers, producers and, of course, the audience.

And when you have so little control, it is often truly a challenge to remain passionate about what you do.

One hotly debated point was Esmerian's claim that the first 15 years of one's career are the most creative. Is a person most creative when one is simply doing something for the pure love of it? Is our attempt to express something unique contaminated by success and the pressure to simply repeat what is known to have worked? Or is it possible to keep passion alive and to foster true creativity throughout one's lifetime?

When the panelists were asked how they had managed to maintain their ardor and excitement despite all the challenges they had faced during their careers, they answered,"That's what friends are for." This educational yet endearing discussion was a true testament to that sentiment.

Betty-Carol Seiko sorb Cynthia J. Johanson

2002. Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johanson. 348 pp.,fully indexed.$49.95 softcover(7 x 10).ISBN 0-7864-1056-6. Books,exhibition catalogs, periodical articles, newspaper articles, films and videos.

McFarland Box 611 Jefferson NC 28640â&#x20AC;˘ FAX 336-246-5018 www.mcfarlandpub.com â&#x20AC;˘ Orders 800-253-2187

Editor's note: special thanks to Laura Tildenfor her contribution to this news item.

Museum Partnership Programs with Families and Teens he American Folk Art Museum and New York Cares, one of the City's preeminent volunteer organizations, currently enjoys two successful partnerships for families and teens from underserved communities. Families in Folk Art invites families from the Rheedlen Place community center to visit the museum's exhibitions and participate in a hands-on workshop with a range of visual artists, potters, sculptors and painters, every other Saturday for ten weeks. The Teen Poetry Project began in April 2002 with 15 teenagers who created unique books. The group meets regularly with a poet to

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write verses inspired by the museum's collections. The museum would like to thank the volunteers from New York Cares who steer the sessions and Mayrav Fisher, a consulting educator who carefully coordinates Families in Folk Art. Each program concludes in June with a celebratory sharing of visual art and poetry. These programs are generously sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, Fleet Bank, and Citigroup Inc. and will continue with new participants in September 2002.

Please call the education department at 212/265-1040 for more information on museum programs for families and students.

ANTON HAARDT 2858 Magazine St. NewOrleans,LA 70115 (504)891-9080 t (504)897-2050 f www.antonart.com

SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 77

MUSEUM

NEWS

Classic Rug Collection, Inc. QUILT PATTERNED RUGS & RUNNERS made of hand-tufted l00% New Zealand Wool Each rug is a unique work of art. Custom sizes, colors and patterns.

We can make a rug to match your favorite quilt.

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Mary Michael Shelley 109 Park Place. Ithaca, NY 14850

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Demonstration carving on summer Saturdays at the Ithaca Farmers' Market, Ithaca, NY.

78 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

Folk Art Explorers Tour to Cuba hirty-seven intrepid Folk Art Explorers met at the Miami International Airport on Sunday, March 3, 2002,to board a chartered flight to Cuba.

The tour was licensed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Our group of museum members and trustees went through several security checks before settling into the small plane. They landed in Havana about an hour and a half later, ready to begin their adventure.

Many new experiences awaited our Cuban explorers.

Eating in paladores, governmentsanctioned small restaurants in the homes of Cuban citizens, was an interesting and often delicious way to spend the evening.

Strolling through the open-air craft markets, members of the group discovered many unique craftsmen and artists. Lively music and dancing attracted many to Havana's nightclubs.

The explorers especially enjoyed the American cars from the 1950s, often called "Grand Cars" in Cuba that operate as taxis.

An electrical blackout on the second day of the trip led to new ways to view art and artifacts. In quickly fading sunlight at the Museum of the Revolution, the Explorers fmished viewing the historical photos and objects telling the story of the Cuban revolution in the late

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1950s. Later, the Ludwig Foundation, an organization promoting the work of young Cuban artists, hosted the group for an authentic Cuban dinner. A borrowed generator supplied light for dinner, and art exhibition tours in adjoining rooms were conducted by flashlight.

A bus excursion to Trinidad and Cienfuegos offered the group an opportunity to see some of the tropical Cuban countryside and spend time in these two beautiful cities southeast of Havana. One of the highlights of the group's overnight stay in Cienfuegos was a horse-drawn carriage ride to the Palacio del Valle, a private residence built in the Moorish Revival style in 1917 and recently restored to its full glory.

Visits to the Partagas Cigar Factory; Finca la Vigia, Ernest Hemingway's hilltop home in San Francisco de Paula; and the beautiful sculptures at the Colon Cemetery gave our museum members a taste of Cuba's varied attractions. Several special visits with artists were a very popular

Christopher Gurshin awky,, cilsepaiiskas, three 1966 part of the itinerary. The noted Cuban artist Manuel Mandive invited the tour group to his farm, in the countryside outside of Havana,for lunch. Self-taught artist Jose Garcia Montebravo visited the group at the hotel in Cienfuegos. A lively artist-decorated alley in central Havana was the colorful setting for a meeting with artist Salvador Gonzalez Escalona, who greeted the Explorers amidst his sculptures made of recycled materials and bold abstract murals on the walls of the surrounding buildings.

The one-week tour ended with the group's return to the Miami International Airport, bearing many rolls of film showing the wonders of Cuban architecture, as well as paintings by Cuban artists and numerous CDs of AfroCuban music.

The museum is planning a second tour to Cuba in March 2003. For information on Folk Art Explorers tours, contact the membership department at 212/977-7170 or e-mail folkart explorers速 follcartmuseum.org.

MURAL PAINTING Creating painted walls for your home or business that creates the feeling of our early heritage.

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Works bi Artist Manuel Mendive and Trustee Paul Caen

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SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART 79

EPSTEIN/POWELL 66 Grand St., New York, N.Y. 10013

By Appointment(212)226-7316 e-mail: artfolks@mindspring.com

Jesse Aaron Rex Clawson Donovan Durham Antonio Es-teves Vic-tor Joseph Gatto (Estate) Lonnie Holley S.L. Jones Charlie Lucas

Justin McCarthy Old Ironsides Pry Popeye Reed Max Romain Bill Roseman Jack Savi-tsky Clarence Stringfield Mose Tolliver and other American outsiders

INDEX

Allan Katz Americana America Oh,Yes!

7 20,25

Gold Goat

22

Nancy Poole's Studio

24

Handcock Shaker Village

32

New Hampshire Antiques Show

32

New York Historical Association

23

American Primitive Gallery

21

Hill Gallery

8

The Ames Gallery

10

Indigo Arts

76

Northeast Auctions

Anton Haardt Gallery

77

Intuit

75

Odd Fellows Antiques

Auntie's Attic Antiques

27

Jackie Radwin

Back Cover

Inside Back Cover 2

Raccoon Creek Antiques, L.L.C.

15 28

Barbara Archer Gallery

11

Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques

17

Red Shoe Studio

Christie's

16

John C. Hill

68

Ricco/Maresca Gallery

Christopher Gurshin

79

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

28

Sidney Gecker American Folk Art

Classic Rug Collection, Inc.

78

Judith Racht Gallery

67

Steve Miller

Denyse Schmidt Quilts

61

Karen S. Robinson

76

Stephen B. O'Brien, Jr.

26

David Wheatcroft Antiques

12

Laura Fisher Americana

23

Steve Slotin / Folk Fest 2002

31

Doyle New York

26

Lindsay Gallery

29

Tesoros Trading Co.

66

Epstein/Powell

80

Luise Ross Gallery

63

The American Antiques Show

14

Main St. Gallery

30

Thomas Schwenke Inc.

Fleisher/Oilman Gallery

9

Inside Front Cover

Forbes & Turner

66

Margaret Shaw

79

Thurston Nichols American Antiques

19 1

3 19

Galerie Bonheur

59

Mary Michael Shelley

78

Walters/Benisek Art & Antiques

Garde Rail Gallery

75

Mennello Museum

24

Workshops of David T. Smith

33

Ginger Young Gallery

30

McFarland & Co.

77

Yard Dog Folk Art

68

80 SUMMER 2002 FOLK ART

4

PART ONE - AUGUST 3, 2002

THE KAHN COLLECTION

RONALD BOURGEAULT,Auctioneer 93 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801 Te1:603.433.8400 . Fax: 603.433.0415

NORTHEAST AUCTIONS

JACKIE RADWIN

Full-bodied Copper Running Deer Weathervane with most desirable gilt and verdigris surface. Attributed to (1.W. Fiske. Circa 1890.

Rhode Island Apothecary Chest. Dovetailed case and drawers.

Original robin's-egg blue painted surface. Circa 1810. Height 31 3/4".

Width 38 1/2". Depth 9 1/2".

5405 Broadway â&#x20AC;˘ San Antonio, Texas 78209 â&#x20AC;˘(210) 824-7711 Visit us at our website www.jackieradwin.com