Folk Art (Fall 1995) by American Folk Art Museum

E rousEuni OF AMEteCAR FOLK ART * FALL I

HILL CARVED

GALLERY

HORSE. PINE. CIRCA 1900 10"Hx12"Wx31/2"D

407W. BROWN STREET

BIRMINGHAM

MICHIGAN 48009

810-540-9288 • FAX 810-540-6965 • PHOTO CREDIT:DIRK BAKKER

STEVE MILLER • AMERICAN FOLK ART •

THOMAS HITCHCOCK,JR. (1900-1944) Perhaps the greatest polo player of all time, Hitchcock won the U.S. Junior and Senior championships at the age of 16, and went on to hold polo's highest ratings for 17 years. This superb weathervane,one offour ordered by Hitchcock, measures 54" x 40" and is complete with the original directionals. Manufactured in the 1920s,this example was from Hitchcock's own home and was recently purchased from a descendant.

17 East 96th Street, New York, New York 10128(212)348-5219 Gallery hours are from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm,Tuesday through Saturday. Other hours are available by appointment.

AARON BIRNBAUM is represented by

K.S. Art outsider & folk art by appointment 91 Franklin Street #3 New York, NY 10013

212-219-1489 Kerry Schuss

K.S. Art congratulates Aaron Birnbaum on the occasion of his 100th birthday!

Conquest of the Moon, 1984, enamel on inasonite, 48"H x 56" W

Willi

Hawkins

A retrospective celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of William L. Hawkins September 14th through October 14th, 1995 Please request our most recent newsletter/cataloguefeaturing the exhibition of William Hawkins

RICCOMIARESCA GALLERY 152 WOOSTER STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10012, 212 780 0071, (FAX) 212 780 0076

AMERICAN ANTIQUES & QUILTS

Pieced quilt. Zigzag Rainbow variation. Circa 1890. Mennonite. Pennsylvania. 102 x 84 inches.

BLANCHE GREENSTEIN THOMAS K. WOODARD 799 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10021 •(212) 988-2906•

We are always interested in purchasing exceptional guilts Photographs returned promptly. Telephone responses welcome

FOLK ART VOLUME 20, NUMBER 3/ FALL 1995 (FORMERLY THE CLARION)

FEATURES

IN PURSUIT OF HARMONY:THE ALICE M.KAPLAN COLLECTION Gerard C. Wertkin

A LITTLE PEPPER, A urrLE SALT: AARON BIRNBAUM Anne Mai

NORWEGIAN FOLK ART: THE MIGRATION OF A TRADITION Stacy C. Hollander

Coven Detail ofCHILD WITH A BASKET;artist unknown; Mt. Vernon, Kennebec County, Maine; c:. 1815; oil on wood panel;34 x 1844. Museum of American Folk Art, gift ofAlice M. Kaplan, 1977.13.1 Folk Art is published four times a year by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY,NY 10023, 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 1995 by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY,NY 10023. 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 Museum of American Folk Art. 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 and allow five weeks for change. Advertising: Folk Art accepts 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 adverrisers, 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 of folk art and it is 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.

DEPARTMENTS

EDITOR'S COLUMN

DIRECTOR'S LETTER

FALL ANTIQUES SHOW SPECIAL

MINIATURES

MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS PROGRAM

MUSEUM NEWS

FALL PROGRAMS

TRUSTEES/DONORS

TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 5

EDITOR'S

COLUMN

ROSEMARY GABRIEL

FOLK ART Rosemary Gabriel Editor and Publisher Jeffrey Kibler, The Magazine Group,Inc. Design Tanya Heinrich Production Editor Benjamin J. Boyington Copy Editor Marilyn Brechner Advertising Manager Craftsmen Litho Printers MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART

eptember marks an exciting month for the Museum as we prepare for the Opening Night Benefit Preview of the Fall Antiques Show and the premiere of"Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition," a major traveling exhibition that highlights the folk art of Norway and Norwegian-Americans. Stacy C. Hollander's essay, starting on page 56, outlines the work of the exhibition's guest curator, Dr. Marion J. Nelson, and gives us some insight into his vision. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from September 16, 1995, through January 7, 1996. It will then travel to Minnesota, North Dakota, and Seattle, before moving on to the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. Also in this issue are two essays that again demonstrate the Museum's commitment to diversity in the field. Gerard Wertkin has written "In Pursuit of Harmony: The Alice M. Kaplan Collection" as a tribute to an exceptional woman. Mrs. Kaplan, who died on May 14, 1995, at the age of ninety-one, was a staunch patron of the arts. Kaplan's intuition and discerning eye were backed up with solid art scholarship, which enabled her to build a magnificent art collection during her lifetime. Wertkin points out that although only a small portion of the collection was in the field of folk art, that portion was exquisite and not at all ancillary. See page 40 for his warm account of their professional association and friendship. Good friends should be appre- YOU LISTEN TO ME; Aaron Birnbaum; Brooklyn; 1993; acrylic ciated and old friends cherished, and varnish on matt board; 12 x 15". K.S. Art, New York, N.Y. but good old friends should be honored. That's just what Anne Mai does in "A Little Pepper, a Little Salt," starting on page 48. Mai applauds the spirit, tenacity, and work of her friend, selftaught artist Aaron Birnbaum. Mai met Birnbaum in 1988, when he was ninetythree years old and working almost daily on his art. Through a series of interviews and a study of most of his paintings, Mai has gained an understanding of his life and art, and in her essay she illustrates for us how he translates his childhood memories of Eastern Europe and his feelings about his adult life in the United States into vivid, sometimes biting, but often humorous, paintings. Birnbaum celebrated his one hundredth birthday in July of this year and looks forward to creating more art and celebrating his one hundred and first. After spending the last fifteen years at Pier 92, Sanford L. Smith's Fall Antiques Show is moving back to the Park Avenue Armory, where it made its debut in 1979. The Museum has held an Opening Night Benefit Preview of this important show each year since the beginning, and I'm sure many of you have attended them all. Some of you may remember when Martha Stewart(not yet a household word)catered the very first opening and, to almost everyone's surprise (and some's chagrin), decorated the hall with bales of hay and live chickens. Word has it that we can expect a few surprises this year too. For more information on the Opening Night Benefit Preview, see our special Fall Antiques Show Section, starting on page 17.

aAg-'47 e FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Administration Gerard C. Wertkin Director Riccardo Salmona Deputy Director Joan M. Walsh Controller Mary Linda Zonana Director ofAdministration Helene J. Ashner Assistant to the Director Jeffrey Grand Senior Accountant Christopher Giuliano Accountant Carlos E. Ubarri Mailroom and Reception Collections & Exhibitions Stacy C. Hollander Curator Ann-Marie Reilly Registrar Judith Gluck Steinberg Assistant Registrar/ Coordinator, Traveling Exhibitions Pamela Brown Gallery Manager Mary-Beth Shine Weekend Gallery Manager Gina Bianco Consulting Conservator Elizabeth V. Warren Consulting Curator Howard Lanser Consulting Exhibition Designer Kenneth R. Bing Security Departments Beth Bergin Membership Director Marie S. DiManno Director ofMuseum Shops Susan Flamm Public Relations Director Alice J. Hoffman Director ofLicensing Valerie K. Longwood Director ofDevelopment Janey Fire Photographic Services Chris Cappiello Membership Associate Maryann Warakomski Assistant Director ofLicensing Jennifer A. Waters Development Associate Claudia Andrade Manager ofInformation Systems, Retail Operations Catherine Barreto Membership Assistant Edith C. Wise Consulting Librarian Eugene P. Sheehy Volunteer Librarian Rita Keckeissen Volunteer Librarian Katya Ullmann Library Assistant Programs Lee Kogan Director, Folk Art Institute/Senior Research Fellow Barbara W.Cate Educational Consultant Dr. Marilynn Karp Director, New York University Master's and Ph.D. Program in Folk Art Studies Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman Coordinator, New York University Program Arlene Hochman Coordinator, Docent Programs Lynn Steuer Coordinator, Outreach Programs Museum Shop Staff Managers: Dorothy Gargiulo, Caroline Hohenrath, Rita Pollitt, Marion Whitley; Mail Order: Beverly McCarthy;Security: Bienvenido Medina; Volunteers: Marie Anderson, Helen Barer, Olive Bates, Mary Campbell,Sally Frank, Jennifer Gerber, Millie Gladstone, Elli Gordon, Edith Gusoff, Ann Hannon, Bernice Hoffer, Elizabeth Howe, Joan Langston, Annette Levande, Arleen Luden, Katie McAuliffe, Nancy Mayer, Theresa Naglack, Pat Pancer, Marie Peluso, Judy Rich, Frances Rojack, Phyllis Selnick, Myra Shaskan, Lola Silvergleid, Maxine Spiegel, Mary Wamsley Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops 62 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10112-1507 212/247-5611 Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th) New York, NY 10023-6214 212/496-2966

Attieritatt Antiquts,3tir. Austin T. Miller â&#x20AC;˘ 685 Farrington Road, Columbus, Ohio 43085 â&#x20AC;˘ (614) 848-4080

Oil on board, 18 x 15 inches Signed A. Nilson Found in Pennsylvania Circa 1890-1900 Without restoration

Iler.s Co., PA. 41

'camel 3erger" Bliankel C Punchwork date of "1787" on till lid. Original except for escutcheon & crab lock from contemporary Berks Co. chest. 52" wide. For examples by same maker see Monroe H. Fabian, The Pennsylvania-German Decorated Chest, Universe Books, New York City, 1978, pls. 153, 154 & 155. Also, Sotheby's catalogue #6716 "DEYERLE," lot 747.

MORGAN ANDERSON AMERICANA P.O. Box 72 Keedysville, MD 21756 (near the intersection of 1-70 & I-81)

American Country Furnishings, Decoration & Folk Art Anytime by appointment (301)416-2787

Ginger Young Gallery Southern Self-Taught Art

By appointment 919.932.6003 Works by more than four dozen artists, including Minnie Black Rudolph Valentino Bostic • Tubby Brown • Richard Burnside Henry Ray Clark • Patrick Davis • Yahrah Dahvah Brian Dowdall • Howard Finster • Lonnie Holley • James Harold Jennings Anderson Johnson • S. L. Jones• Calvin Livingston Woodie Long • Jake McCord • R.A. Miller • Sarah Rakes • Harold Rittenberry • Royal Robertson Sultan Rogers Jewell Starclay • Jimmy Lee Sudduth Mose Tolliver • Fred Webster • Myrtice West

For a free video catalogue or a complete price list please call or write: Ginger Young Gallery 5802 Brisbane Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone/Fax 919.932.6003

Left: Matchstick Shrimp Boat by Charles J. Madden 9"High x 12"Long x 4"Wide, 1995.

FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Important Amerce' ana is on the horizon at Sotheby's

J.O.J. Frost, Appleton Whaff, Marblehead, Madeachudette, oil on board, 48 by 31 in. (121.9 by 78.7 cm.). Auction estimate: $20,000-30,000

This painting ofAppleton Wharf, Marblehead, Massachusetts, is just one of the highlights to be offered in our October 22, 1995, sale of Important Americana. The exhibition for this sale opens Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. For more information on buying and selling Folk Art at auction, please call Nancy Druckman at(212)606-7225, Sotheby's, 1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021. Illustrated catalogues are available at our offices and galleries worldwide and through the mail. To order with a credit card, please call (800)444-3709.

SOTHEBY'S 4

Sotheby's, Inc. 1995 William E Ruprecht, principal auctioneer, #0794917

Lancaster County Amish Double Nine Patch, wools, circa 1930

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

DIRECTOR'S

LETTER

GERARD C. WERTKIN

he sounds and colors of Norway are everywhere evident in New York this season. A major Norwegian cultural initiative has brought a variety of fascinating exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events to the Big Apple. Timed to coincide with the first state visit to the United States of the reigning Norwegian monarchs, King Harald and Queen Sonja,"Norwegian Visions" is providing Americans with a comprehensive introduction to Norwegian life and art. Although the traditional mission of the Museum of American Folk Art has been to foster knowledge and appreciation of the folk art of the United States, the institution long ago recognized that its objectives could not be adequately fulfilled without considering creative expression elsewhere in the world. America is in part a nation of immigrants; it is obvious that a fuller understanding of its heritage is dependent upon knowledge of precedents and parallels in the arts of those parts of the globe to which American roots may be traced. For these reasons, among many others, I am delighted that the Museum is participating in "Norwegian Visions." Our exhibition "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition" celebrates the folk arts not only of Norway but of Norwegian-Americans. Every major international undertaking is dependent upon the cooperation and creative collaboration of many individuals and institutions. "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition" is no exception. On the contrary, the personal commitment and generosity of everyone associated with the project has been key to its success. Heading the effort as guest curator and project director is Dr. Marion Nelson, director emeritus of Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, and professor emeritus and former chairman of the department of art history at the University of Minnesota. Widely recognized as the dean of Norwegian decorative art studies in the United States, Dr. Nelson has brought a consummate professionalism to every aspect of the project. It has been a privilege for me and the staff of the Museum to work with him. Organized jointly with the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo,"Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition" includes many masterworks of Norwegian folk art that have never been seen outside the country. My colleague Erik Rudeng, director of the Norwegian Folk Museum, paved the way for these important loans. I should also like to acknowledge with warm gratitude the collaboration of Darrell D. Henning, director of Vesterheim. His museum has assumed a major role in the exhibition as a lender and cooperating institution. I am deeply grateful to all the other lenders as well as to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the principal sponsor of the exhibition, and to the American Scandinavian Foundation, which provided support for educational programming. In particular, I should like to thank Jan Hada, consul general of Norway in New York; Janis Bjorn Kanavin, consul and director of the Norwegian Information Service; and John Petter Opdahl, vice consul. I invite all of you to visit this outstanding presentation. Following the closing of the exhibition in New York next January, it will travel to the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul, the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, and the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo.

TRUNK WITH ROSEMALING; Olav Luraas 11840-1920); Tinn, Telemark, Norway; 1868; painted pine; 32 48 - 24. State Historical Society of North Dakota. 12323

It is a special pleasure for me to acknowledge the election of M. Anne Hill to the Museum's Board of Trustees. A distinguished economist, Dr. Hill serves as professor of economics at Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY)as well as acting director of the Center for the Study of Business and Government at CUNY's Baruch College. Among her other professional achievements, she is a consultant to the World Bank and has been CARVED EQUESTRIAN FIGURE (Presumably Colonel visiting professor of inter!leg); unidentified Norwegian immigrant; Southern Min3 4 5/ 1 2 nesota; c. 1900; carved and painted birch; 6/ national and public affairs 1/ 3 4" deep. Adeline Haltmeyer Collection, courtesy of of the Woodrow Wilson John Hattmeyer. School, Princeton University. She and her husband, Edward Vermont Blanchard, are avid collectors of the artworks of twentieth-century self-taught painters and sculptors. An engaging exhibition from their collection was presented recently at the Sydney Mishkin Gallery of Baruch College. Anne Hill is known to many Museum members for her work on the Museum's 1995 Country Benefit Auction as well as for hosting a benefit dinner for the Museum in 1994. She and her husband have also been generous hosts to the Museum's Folk Art Explorers' Club. The members of the Board of Trustees

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 11

,... /Mg.

\\ .......... ,

2017 Q *MEET NW . WASHINGTON, TEL: 202-332-5652 FAX: 202-797-9853

LETTER

join me in welcoming her to the Board and thanking her warmly for her willingness to assume a leadership role at the Museum. From time to time in this column,I have commented upon the excellence of the Museum staff. Indeed, I feel privileged to serve with this deeply dedicated and richly talented group of individuals. That is why I experience more than a tinge of sadness when a valued employee moves on to other challenges. Deputy Director Karen S. Schuster, who has served the Museum in a wide variety of capacities for twenty years, is now in a management position at Sotheby's here in New York. As much as we miss her, all of us at the Museum wish her the best of luck in this new career direction. Karen Schuster came to the Museum as a very young person in 1975 and found herself thrust into the leadership of the institution just a year later as a result of the tragic death of Bruce Johnson, the Museum's Director. Following her marriage, Karen continued to work for the Museum as a volunteer and as a member of the Board of Trustees, serving on the Executive Committee and managing the Museum's special events for many years. In 1988,just prior to the opening of the new Museum galleries at Lincoln Square, Karen left the Board and returned to the professional staff as Gallery Manager. In that position and later as Deputy Director, Karen proved herself an exceptionally capable planner and administrator. For me,she was a wonderful colleague. If

the Museum is a well-managed institution today, it is in no small part because of Karen Schuster's many splendid contributions. Just over a year ago, Abbeville Press published Treasures ofFolk Art: Museum ofAmerican Folk Art, an engaging introduction to the Museum's collection by Lee Kogan, Director of the Museum's Folk Art Institute, and Barbara Cate, the Museum's Educational Consultant. The book was published as part of Abbeville's Tiny Folio series. As Susan Costello, Abbeville's distinguished senior editor puts it, each tiny folio is like "having a museum in the palm of your hand." Measuring only 4 by 4/ 1 2inches, Treasures ofFolk Art is a colorful and richly rewarding volume. I am delighted to announce that the book has completely sold out and a second printing has been ordered. This 358-page paperback book is available for $11.95 plus $4.00 for postage and handling; to order, write to the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023, or call Beverly McCarthy at 212/977-7170. These remarks will reach you at the beginning of an exceptionally full Fall season at the Museum. The Museum's principal benefit, the gala opening of the Fall Antiques Show,is scheduled for September 27, 1995, and is once again at New York's premier venue for events of this kind, The Seventh Regiment Armory,Park Avenue and 67th Street. Come join us for this very special evening!*

P.O. Box 1653 â&#x20AC;˘Alexandria, Virginia 22313 â&#x20AC;˘(703)329-8612

DIRECTOR'S

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 13

THE

AMES GALLERY

2661 Cedar Street Berkeley, California 94708 Tel: 510/845-4949 Fax: 510/845-6219 • Bonnie Grossman, Director • We specialize in the works of contemporary naive, visionary, and outsider artists, and offer exceptional 19th & early 20th C. handmade objects, including carved canes, tramp art, quilts, and whimseys.

From our Collection ofFish Lures

BERNARD GOODMAN - OCTOBER 1995 THE MODERN PRIMITIVE GALLERY 1402-4 NORTH HIGHLAND AVENUE ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30306 (404) 892-0556

14 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Robert Cargo

FOLK ART GALLERY Contemporary Folk Art • Haitian Spirit Flags Southern, Folk, and African-American Quilts

Peaches. African-American Diamond-set Squares Quilt. Ca. 1930-1940, cotton, 72 x 79 inches. For another quilt by same maker, who is from Georgia and is known only as Peaches, see Janet Kardon, ed., Revivals! Diverse Traditions. The History of Twentieth-Century American Craft 1920-1945. New York: American Craft Museum, 1994, p. 138. Several museum-quality African-American quilts from the 1920-1975 period available. Write or call for list. 2314 Sixth Street, Downtown, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 • Home Phone 205-758-8884 Open weekends only and by appointment • Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and

Sunday 2 to 5 p.m.

FALL FOLK ART AT CHRISTIE'S AMERICAN FOLK ART FROM THE WALLACH COLLECTION TO BE INCLUDED IN IMPORTANT AMERICAN FURNITURE, FOLK ART AND DECORATIVE ARTS Auction to be held on Saturday, October 21 at 10 am and 2 pm in our galleries at 502 Park Avenue, New York, NewYork 10022.This sale will be on view from October 14 through October 20. For inquiries regarding this sale, please contact Christie's American Decorative Arts Department at 212 546 1181.To order catalogue #8238F, please call 800 395 6300. Pruscipal auctioneer Chnstopher Burge #761543

CHRISTIE'S

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ANTIQUES

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ANTIQUES SHOW AT THE ARMORY

Yes, that's correct! After spending the last fifteen years at Pier 92, Sanford L. Smith's Fall Antiques Show is moving back to the Park Avenue Armory, where it made its debut in 1979. The Museum of American Folk Art's Opening Night Benefit Preview will be held on Wednesday evening, September 27,from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. For seventeen years, Museum members and friends have looked forward to the Opening Night Benefit Preview of the Fall Antiques Show as one of the most delightful events of New York's Fall season. Come celebrate with the Museum family and some of the most enthusiastic collectors and appreciators of fine antiques and folk art. Enjoy fine food and drink while you leisurely view a stunning display of American arts and antiques. This gala benefit is a principal fund-raising effort that helps to support the Museum's exhibition and educational programs. * Benefit Chairmen Nina and Tim Zagat, along with Advisory Chairmen Lucy C. Danziger and Wendy Lehman Lash and Vice Chairmen Susan and John Gutfreund, Allison and Peter Rockefeller, and Donna and Elliott Slade, are planning a spectacular party for the Show's return to the Armory. Corporate Chairman for the Benefit is Vincent A. Mai, President and CEO of AEA Investors Inc. The Educational Chairman is Anne Mai. * Country Living magazine will join the festivities this year as a Corporate Benefactor of the evening. All of the wine and liquor for the Benefit Preview will be generously donated by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. This year's preview invitation, courtesy of Ellen Blissman and printing generously donated by Christie's, features a grand Statue of Liberty weathervane. * You can be sure to expect some surprises this year, so make your reservations early by calling Jennifer Waters at the STATUE OF LIBERTY WEATHERVANE Al. Jewell & Company Nineteenth century Molded copper and zinc 38 (high) ,â&#x20AC;˘ 24" (from finger to tip of flag) Private collection

Museum's administrative offices, 212/977-7170. Preview tickets are priced at $750 for Benefactors, $500 for Patrons, $300 for Donors, $175 for Supporters, and $75 for Juniors. Proceeds benefit the Museum of American Folk Art's exhibition and educational programs.

Gavin Ashworth

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 17

*As

(3 Ike.pd —

I mit

JOEL AND KATE KOPP

AMERICA HURRAH 766 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK NY 10021 tel 212.535.1930 fax 212.249.9718

214111

ONE AMBER LANE • NORTHAMPTON • MASSACHUSETTS • 01060 ( 4 1 3 ) 5 8 6 • 3 9 0 9 -( 2 1 9 ) 5 3 3 • 9 4 1 6 DON WALTERS 41 MARY BEN 1 SEK

ART & ANTIQUES

WALTERS • BENISEK

\to\ hod 16\

An Exceptional Pair of Marionettes Found in New York State • Late 19th Century • 28" High

John Sideli Art19th&&Antiques 20th Centuries Stylish Objects ofthe 18th,

ROUTE 295 • PO BOX 328 • CHATHAM, NY 12037 • 518.392.2271

STELLA

RUJ3IN Fine Antique Quilts and Decorative Arts

12300 Glen Road Potomac, MD 20854 (Near Washington, D.C.) By appointment (301)948-4187

Arthur, Illinois Amish star quilt, circa 1920

Carved and painted Indian Chief from the Shop of Samuel Robb, New York City, circa 1885. H. 72"

175 Ansonia Road, Woodbridge, Connecticut 06525 â&#x20AC;˘(203) 397-81

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FALL

ANTIQUES

SHOW

Museum of American Folk Art Book Shop Booth oin the Museum at any time during the Fall Antiques Show and take advantage of your 10% discount on all publications and merchandise at the Museum's book shop booth. A special selection of hard-to-find books, as well as many new titles, will be available during the show. This is a perfect time to round out your personal antiques and folk art library or to get a jump on your holiday gift shopping. The following are just a few of the titles being offered:

AMERICAN PRIMITIVE GALLERY

Amish Folk Artist Barbara Ebersol: Her Life, Fraktur, and Death Record Book, David

Luthy, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 1995, 111 pages, $29.95 hardcover. The Architecture of the Shakers, Julie Nicoletta, The

Countryman Press, 1995, 175 pages, $40.00 hardcover.

Rewards of Merit: Tokens of a Child's Progress and a Teacher's Esteem as an Enduring Aspect of American Religious and Secular Education,

Patricia Fenn and Alfred P. Malpa, The Ephemera Society of America, 1994, 224 pages, $55.00 hardcover. Shaker: The Art of Craftsman ship: The Mount Lebanon Col-

Folk Art in American Life, Robert

lection, Timothy D. Rieman, Art

Bishop and Jacqueline M. Atkins, Viking Studio Books, 1995, 192 pages, $24.95 softcover.

Services International, 1995, 179 pages, $34.95 softcover.

Forgotten Marriage: The Painted Tintype & The Decorative Frame 1860-1910, A Lost Chapter in American Portrai-

Shaker Built: The Form and Function of Shaker Architecture, Paul Rocheleau and June Sprigg, The

Monacelli Press, 1994,272 pages, $50.00 hardcover.

ture, Stanley B. Bums, M.D.,

The Bums Collection, Ltd., 1995, 220 pages, $34.95 softcover. Freaks, Geeks, & Strange Girls: Sideshow Banners of the Great American Midway, R. Johnson,

E. Varndell, et al., Hardy Marks Publications, 1995, 164 pages, $40.00 hardcover.

594 Broadway 212-966-1530

24 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

New York, New York 10012 #205 Monday - Saturday 11am - 6pm

Jacqueline Marx Atkins, Viking Studio Books in Association with the Museum of American Folk Art, 1994, 143 pages, $39.95 hardcover. Swedish Folk Art: All Tradition Is Change, Barbro Klein and

Beardsley, Abbeville Press, 1995, 223 pages,$60.00 hardcover.

Mats Widbom,editors, Harry N. Abrams in association with Kulturhuset, Stockholm, 1994, 272 pages, $60.00 hardcover.

Material Culture of the American Freemasons, John D.

The Windsor Style in America, Volumes I and II, Charles San-

Hamilton, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library, 307 pages, $75.00 hardcover.

tore, Running Press, 1992, 294 pages, $60.00 hardcover.

Gardens of Revelation: Environments by Visionary Artists, John

ht. 30"

Shared Threads: Quilting Togetherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Past and Present,

These books are also available at the Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops at 62 West 50th Street and Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65 and 66th streets), New York, New York,or through the Mail-Order Department. To order, call Beverly McCarthy at 212/977-7170.

ghe

MANHATTAN ART &ANTIQUES CENTER The Nation's Largest and Finest Antiques Center. Over 100 Galleries offering Period Furniture, Jewelry, Silver, Americana, Orientalia, Africana and other Objets d'Art. Open Daily 10:30-6, Sun. 12-6 Convenient Parking • Open to the Public 1050 SECOND AVENUE(AT 56TH ST.) NEW YORK, N.Y. Tel: 212-355-4400 • Fax: 212-355-4403

PRESENTS

MORNING STAR GALLERY 513 CANYON ROAD SANTA FE, NM 87501 TEL 505 982-8187 FAX 505 984-2368 64-page color catalogue of antique American Indian art, volume IV, 522 ppd (527 foreign); volumes I, II,and III also available

LAURA FISHER GALLERY #84

Rare chromolithograph children's kerchiefs quilt, circa 1875. Published, "Small Endearments", "Labours Of Love".

Antique Quilts Hooked Rugs Coverlets Paisley Shawls Beacon Blankets Vintage Accessories American Folk Art

Monday—Saturday 11 AM —6PM

Tel: 212-838-2596

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 25

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ANTIQUES

American Folk Art Sidney Gecker

PENNSYLVANIA WOODCARVED ROOSTER • EARLY 19TH CENTURY FOR A SIMILAR EXAMPLE SEE NINA FLETCHER LITTLE, THE ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER FOLK ART COLLECTION,#130.

226 West 21st Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 •(212)929-8769 Appointment Suggested Subject to prior sale

FOUR-DRAWER LIFT-TOP BLANKET CHEST. PINE WITH ORIGINAL GRAIN-PAINTED FINISH. NEW HAMPSHIRE, C.1830. HEIGHT 50, WIDTH 411 / 2"

OLDE HOPE ANTIQUES, INC. 6465 ROUTE 202 NEW HOPE, PA 18938 215-862-5055 PATRICK BELL

26 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

EDWIN HILD

K\kYA

EST. 1964 Box 20385 • New York, NY 10011 (212) 744,6171 • Fax (212) 647.0562 By Appointment

IRONCLAD: "USS SAUGUS" OIL 20" x 30" c. 1864

by Charles Alexander Stuart (183 1-1898)

We are always interested in acquiring the finest examples of 19th & 20th century marine paintings and folk art with specific interest in tobacconist figures & folk sculpture.

Special Interest in work by: Bard, Freitag, Huntington, Stockfleth.

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ANTIQUES

SHOW

American Jazz Painted wood carving of John D. Rockefeller c.1910. 9"h

Mason mechanical bank, cast iron, c. 1910

Embroideryfrom within . . . . . . a corded & quilted infant lap quilt, circa 1850, Provence, France.

Kathryn Berenson Antique French Quilts & Textiles

202/686-2727 Largest American tin pull toy, c. 1880. 15" length

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Add another dimension to your personality and enrich your life by becoming a Museum of American Folk Art Volunteer!

Carved wood c. 1930. Wisconsin folk sculpture by Auguste Jackson. 12"h

The Museum's Volunteer Program offers rewarding opportunities for people interested in serving the public and, at the same time, enhancing their knowledge and appreciation of American folk art. Enjoy the unique experience of working in one of the most vital art institutions in New York City today and interacting with an energetic and dedicated staff. All docents and volunteers receive free tuition for one course per semester at the Museum's Folk Art Institute and 15% discount on all purchases at the Museum's book and gift shops.

Hand painted German tin wind-up toy, c. I 910. 7"h

IF YOU: * are enthusiastic and committed * have good communication skills

American Folk Art•Childhood Antiques AT THE FALL ANTIQUE SHOW • SEPT.27-OCT. I Alan Green P0.302, Ossining, NY 10562•914 762-5519

28 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

* have a strong interest in art and cultural history * are interested in joining our program Please call Arlene Hochman or Pamela Brown at 212/595-9533 for information.

Peter & Jeffrey Tillou Fine Arts

American Indian Weathervane, New England, c. 1870, gilt copper, ht. 45 inches

Peter Tillou 109 Prospect Street Litchfield, CT 06759 (203) 567-5706

Jeffrey Tillou Antiques 33 West Street Litchfield, CT 06759 (203) 567-9693

1 9 9 5

FALL

ANTIQUES

SHOW

60 SAWMILL ROAD,CALIFON, N.J. 07830

30 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

17 years ago the Fall Antiques Show was held at the Park Avenue

America Hurrah Antiques American Jazz American Primitive Gallery Marna Anderson T.J. Antorino Kathryn Berenson Marcy Burns Linda Cheverton Courcier • Wilkins Allan L. Daniel Deco Deluxe Nikki & Tom Deupree Dubrow Antiques & Books Joel J. Einhorn M. Finkel & Daughter Laura Fisher Antique Quilts Rufus Foshee Antiques Michael Friedman Antiques Frank Gaglio Antiques Garthoeffner Gallery Sidney Gecker Gemini Antiques George D. Glazer James Grievo William & Connie Hayes Heller Washam Antiques Nina Hellman The Hill Gallery Hillman Gallery Jim Hirsheimer Stephen & Carol Huber Katy Kane Allan Katz Americana Kelter Malce Antiques Kemble's American Antiques James M. Kilvington Lenny & Nancy Kislin

Armory. The first "all American" show, it was the single most successful antiques show ever held. THE MAINE ANTIQUES DIGEST called it "a gutsy show... exciting, overwhelming, and frankly, dazzling." THE NEW YORK TIMES said it was "bound to change New Yorkers' views of antiques shows." and so it did... This September, The Fall Antiques Show will return to the Park Avenue Armory to continue that tradition.

Sanford Smith:, 17th Annual

Afall

.41NTIOUES SHOW AT THE ARMORY

SEPTEMBER 28 THURSDAY & FRIDAY

OCTOBER 1, 1995

11-9, SATURDAY 11-8 SUNDAY 11-6

PARK AVENUE ARMORY PARK AVENUE & 67TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY

PREVIEW: SEPTEMBER 27TH

6-9 PM

THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART

$175 ($100 TAX DEDUCTIBLE) INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS: 212 977 7170

SANFORD L. SMITH & ASSOCIATES, LTD. 68 EAST 7TH STREET • NEW YORK, NY 10003 (212) 777-5218 FAX (212) 477-6490

Greg & Diane Kramer John L. Long Mark & Lisa McCormick Judith & James Milne Morning Star Gallery John C. Newcomer Olde Hope Antiques Parrett/Lich E.G.H. Peter The Philadelphia Print Shop Susan & Sy Rapaport Richard & Betty Ann Rasso Ricco-Maresca Gallery Stella Rubin Stephen Score Shoot The Chute John Sideli Art & Antiques Smith Gallery Elliott & Grace Snyder Linda & Howard Stein Sterling & Hunt Tillou Fine Arts Terry Ann Tomlinson Trotta - Bono Van Anda's Antiques Kevin R. Velle Walters • Benisek Webb & Brennan Victor Weinblatt Ed Weissman Antiquarian Whimsy et al John & Nanci Wilson With All Due Ceremony Douaglas R. Wyant Antiques Withington/Wells Nancy Zander Shelly Zegart

ROSEHIPS GALLERY South's strongest folk pottery 8r outsider art Lanier Meaders Michael Crocker Meaders Family Burlon Craig Billy Henson Hewell Family Marie Rogers Richard Burnside Mary Greene James Harold .Jennings R. A. Miller Jim Sudduth Mose T & Annie T Annie Welborn Woodie Long

Barbara Brogdon 1611 Hwy. 129 S., Cleveland, GA (706)865-6345 Photos available

Jim Sudduth

ANTON HAARDT GALLERY David Butler Thornton Dial Sam Doyle Minnie Evans Howard Finster Sybil Gibson Bessie Harvey Lonnie Holley Clementine Hunter James H.Jennings Calvin Livingston Charlie Lucas R.A. Miller

B.F. Perkins Rhinestone Cowboy Royal Robertson Juanita Rogers Mary T. Smith Henry Speller Jimmy Lee Sudduth "Son" Thomas Annie Tolliver Mose Tolliver Felix Virgous Ben Williams Chuckie Williams

1220 SOUTH HULL STREET MONTGOMERY,ALABAMA 36104 (205)263-5494 ANNEX NEW ORLEANS(504)897-1172

32 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

AA)iv;E ;C HOPE JOYCE ATKINSON • RON BURMAN CHUCK CROSBY • LONNIE HOLLEY JAMES HAROLD JENNINGS • WOODIE LONG ANNIE LUCAS • CHARLIE LUCAS B. F. PERKINS • SARAH RAKES JUANITA ROGERS • BERNICE SIMS JIMMIE LEE SUDDUTH • ANNIE TOLLIVER MOSE TOLLIVER • DANIEL TROPPY MYRTICE WEST • WILLIE WHITE AND OTHER ARTISTS

ANNIE LUCAS

"Samson in the Temple"

Marcia Weber/Art Objects, Inc. 3218 Lexington Road • Montgomery, Alabama 36106 • 334. 262.5349 • Fax 334. 288.4042 Ongoing Exhibitions by Appointment

Clementine Hunter (1887-1988) Collection includes: J.B. Murray, Howard Finster, David Butler, Sam Doyle, Nellie Mae Rowe, Mary T. Smith, Jimmy Sudduth, James "Son" Thomas, Royal Robertson, James Harold Jennings, Mose Tolliver, Lonnie Holley, B.F. Perkins, Luster Willis, Raymond Coins, Charlie Lucas, Junior Lewis, William Dawson, LeRoy Almon, Sr., M.C. 50 Jones, "Artist Chuckle" Williams, Ike Morgan, Herbert Singleton, Burgess Dulaney, Dwight Mackintosh, Sarah Rakes, S.L. Jones, Rhinestone Cowboy and others.

GILLEY8 "Juke Joint" 16" x 20" Oil on Art Board Circa 1950

CALLEQY

8750 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70815 (504) 922-9225

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 33

MINIATURES

COMPILED BY TANYA HEINRICH

CHILD WITH WATCH AND HAT; artist unknown; 1820-1840; oil on canvas; 24 19. Collection of Heritage Plantation, Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Southern Contemporary Portraiture "Southern Contemporary Folk Faces," an exhibition of portraiture by 20th-century self-taught southern artists from private southern collections, will be on view at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Ga., from September 17 through November 23. Organized by the museum and guest curator Debbie Charter and held in conjunction with "American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery, Washington, D.C.," a traveling

exhibition of 18th- and 19thcentury folk art, "Southern Contemporary Folk Faces" serves to link the three centuries and interpret the concept of folk art as an ongoing art form. Included will be works by Ned Cartledge, Thornton Dial, Howard Finster, J.B. Murry, Nellie Mae Rowe, and Jimmy Lee Sudduth. For more information, please call 404/424-8142.

Biannual HSEAD Meeting in Lancaster

Identifying Gender The gender of anonymous children in American folk portraits has often remained open to speculation, as young boys and girls of the 19th century wore similar clothing,jewelry, and hairstyles. "Is She or Isn't He? Identifying Gender in Folk Portraits of Children," a major loan exhibition on view at the Art Museum at Heritage Plantation in Sandwich, Mass., through October 29, seeks

to illuminate identifying clues in 75 children's portraits by painters such as John Brewster, Horace Bundy,Joseph H. Davis, Erastus Salisbury Field, William Matthew Prior, and Joseph Whiting Stock. The paintings are supplemented with the very objects that appear in the portraits, such as toys, books, and furniture. For more information, please call 508/888-3300.

The Historical Society of Early American Decoration(HSEAD) will hold its biannual meeting and exhibition at the Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Pa., on September 30 and October 1. A collection of clock dials belonging to Carol Buonato, an HSEAD member and a restorer of antique clocks, will be featured at the meeting, along with decorated Pennsylvania tinware from the collection of

Florence Lewis,small Russian boxes and brooches from the collection of Jane Milner, and decorated pieces by HSEAD members. Exhibition hours will be 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 30, and 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 1. The public is invited and admission is free. For more information, please call Beverly McCarthy at 212/5866663.

Charlie Lucas Exhibition Paintings and welded-metal assemblages of animals and figures by Charlie Lucas, a selftaught artist from Alabama, will be on view at the Southeast Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C., through

34 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

October 4. The exhibition is part of a series featuring significant artists from the region who have made an impact within and outside their local communities. For more information, please call 910/725-1904.

APPLE BASKET; artist unknown; Pennsylvania; c. 1840; oil paint and asphaltum on tin; 10/ 1 2 2/ 1 2 x 5.Collection of Florence Lewis.

SHAKER STORAGE BOXES WITH ROUND MEASURES; Mount Lebanon, New York; c. 1880; maple, pine, and ash. Mount Lebanon Shaker Collection.

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Two Shaker Exhibitions Traveling A nationally traveling exhibition of furniture and decorative arts from the Shaker community established in 1785 at New Lebanon, New York, the oldest and, until early in the 20th century, most influential in the United States, will be presented at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn.,from September 30 through December 3."Shaker: The Art of Craftsmanship" consists of86 objects such as tall cupboards, chairs, benches, and tailoring counters. Despite the sophistication of their manufacture, all display a refined simplicity devoid of decorative excess, characterizing the traditional Shaker values of simplicity, utility, order, and fine craftsmanship. Tools, baskets, brooms,dolls, medicine bottles, graphics, and archival photos of the community will also be on view. A fully illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition. For more information, please call 203/247-9111.

"Kindred Spirits: The Eloquence of Function in American Shaker and Japanese Arts of Daily Life" will be on view at the Mingei International Museum of World Folk Art in San Diego through October 8. The traveling exhibition of 200 pieces of furniture, textiles, baskets, tools, and domestic utensils reveals the extraordinary similarities within two contrasting cultures that nevertheless share standards of excellence in making objects for daily use. The Shaker objects are on loan from Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass. The exhibition will travel to The Morikami Museum in Defray Beach, Fla., and the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Mass. For more information, please call 619/453-5300.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;,

33"h x 20"w x 8"cl

SHOP NEWS SIGN found in upstate New York circa 1850 curved with shelves on back early notices attached painted pine

J.E. PORCELLI AMERICAN FOLK ART and AMERICANA P.O. Box 20333 Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 216/932-9087 Appointment and Shows

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 35

MINIATURES

BIRDS, FLOWERS; Hector Hyppolite; Haiti; c. 1948; oil on Masonite; 24 30. Collection of the Davenport Museum of Art, Davenport, Iowa.

Dust Tracks on a Road

Haitian Art "Masterworks in Haitian Art," a traveling exhibition from the collection of the Davenport Museum of Art in Davenport,Iowa, will be on view at the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio,from November 18, 1995, through January 21, 1996. Le Centre d'Art,founded in Haiti in 1944, and a second center that opened a year later, provided materials, encouragement,and a sense of community to the island inhabitants, which spawned a

wave of Haitian history painting as well as depictions of a spirituality mixing Christianity and voodoo traditions. The exhibition includes 72 pieces of painting and sculpture and traces the major developments in the modern movementfrom early 20thcentury forged metal sculptures to sophisticated cutout reliefs and paintings of the 1940s through the 1980s by such artists as Hector Hyppolite, Rigaud Benoit, and Jasmin Joseph. For more information, please call 216/376-9185.

Significant works by Ulysses Davis, Thornton Dial, Lonnie Holley, and Bill Traylor are featured in "Dust Tracks on a Road: Four Southern Artists," on view at the High Museum of Art Folk Art and Photography Galleries in Atlanta through November 4. Organized by the museum's folk art curator, Joanne Cubbs, the exhibition seeks to explore the wide range of expressions that comprise the field of contemporary self-taught art with the inclusion of the distinct artistic output of each of the four artists: the intricately carved sculptures of Davis, the large expressionistic canvases of Dial, the yard artâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;inspired assemblages of Holley, and the stark, intimate drawings of Traylor. A symposium

entitled "Revisiting the Crossroads: Questions of AfricanAmerican Identity in Southern Self-taught Art" is scheduled for October 14. For more information, please call 404/733-4437.

UNTITLED; Bill Traylor; Montgomery, Alabama; date unknown; tempera and pencil on card3 4. 3 4 7/ board; 11/ Collection of the High Museum of Art.

Annual Folk Art Society Conference Art of Pharmacy and Tools of Medicine in Pennsylvania "Tools of the Trade: Yesterday's remedies, and a growing concern Colorful trade cards for various Medical Care," organized by For issues. health public with ephemera tonics and elixirs and guest curator Irving Williams, more information, please call related to the practice of pharM.D.,is on view at the Packwood macy and drug manufacturing are 215/684-7860. Museum in Lewisburg. House Dr. of journal 1848 An included in "Potions, Pills, and October 29. The varthrough Pa., the in physician a Leiser, William on Pharmacy," Purges: The Art of ious displays include a patent developing town of Lewisburg, view at the Philadelphia Museum medicine peddler's wagon with a Pa., containing carefully written of Art through October 29. The mannequin, as well as talking attendance his during notes taken exhibition of works on paper pharmaceutical paraphernalia. at medical lectures in Philadelfrom the United States, Europe, For more information, please call phia, is inspiration for an exhibiand Japan illustrates the rise of 717/524-0323. of collection substantial a of tion the pharmaceutical profession, 19th- and early 20th-century the increase in over-the-counter medical instruments and devices.

36 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

The Folk Art Society of America will hold its eighth annual conference in Atlanta from October 12 to 15. Chaired by Randy Siegel, the conference will feature a symposium, an auction, private collection tours, museum tours, gallery open houses, an excursion to folk artists' homes, and a visit to the largest flea market in the South. The Society is also sponsoring October as National Folk Art Month, with the theme "Folk Art Makes a Difference." For more information, please call 804/285-4532.

THE FIFTH DAY OF CREATION; Michael Lenk; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; c. 1950s; oil on canvas; 311 / 4 35/ 1 4". The Daisley Collection.

SOUTHEIIN FOLK POTTERY COLLECTORS SOCIETY .

presents

American Visionary Art Museum to Open The American Visionary Art Museum,founded by Rebecca Hoffberger, will open in Baltimore on November 24 with its inaugural exhibition,"The Tree of Life." Organized by folklorist and curator Roger Manley, the ambitious exhibition will consist of 400 objects made from wood or tree sources, such as carved roots and bark, woven pine needles, assembled matchsticks and toothpicks, hermit furnishings, grafted living tree sculptures, wooden machines, religious items, carved books, clothing

made from leaves, prison art, canes, and furniture, as well as traditional "Tree of Life" paintings. The inaugural project is intended to transport the public into the visionary and self-taught artist's intuitive world—one filled with reverence for nature— with the tree as a metaphor for human life and faith. The exhibition will be on view through Labor Day weekend, 1996. For more information, please call 410/653-5202.

Six Fall Exhibitions at Colonial Williamsburg "Amanda Armstrong at 150," a single-object exhibition featuring Asa Ames's 1847 polychrome sculpture portrait of a young girl born 150 years ago, is on view at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center in Williamsburg, Va., through September. Also at the Center are five other folk art exhibitions: "Folk Sculpture of Our Century," on view through September;"Folk Fabrics," featuring table covers, bedcovers, and other textiles, on view through November;"Views of Slavery," focusing on two folk artists' perspectives of slavery—a two-sided painting with a portrait on its front and two scenes of slavery on its back, as well as drawings depicting slavery by

Lewis Miller—on view through November;"German-Made in America," showcasing paintings, carvings, utilitarian wares, textiles, and ironware created by German-speaking immigrants to America and their descendants, on view through December; and "Memory,Fantasy, History and Aesthetics: 'Moving' in the Life of Mattie Lou O'Kelley," an exhibition of 25 paintings completed by the Georgia-based artist from 1987 to 1989 to illustrate her children's book Moving to Town, on view through January 1, 1996. For more information, please call 804/220-7698.

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"Monkeys in Tree" Candelabra by Billy Ray Hussey

The Living Advancement by Traditional Southern Folk Potters of Yesteryear and Today. Membership Available. States include: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society Shop/Museum Wednesday through Saturday 10:00-5:00 or by appointment 1828 N. Howard Mill Road Robbins, NC 27325 Phone:(910)464-3961 Fax:(910)464-2530 SIXTH ABSENTEE AUCTION SALE EVENT featuring circa 1930s Jugtown Pottery, N.C., Collection of Frances Forbes Heyn. Exhibition and Bidding begin in September and end in November. Fully illustrated, extensive biographical catalogue with four-color cover available. NC.Auction Firm License #5902

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 37

MINIATURES

Immortal Heroes

FLASH ART; Owen Jensen; Detroit; c. 1920s; ink and watercolor on paper; 11 x 14. Collection of D.E. Hardy.

Tattoo History in New York and California "Pierced Hearts and True Love: A Century of Drawings for Tattoos," a comprehensive survey of the visually rich and pervasive art form, opens September 16 at The Drawing Center in Manhattan and will be on view through November 11. Organized by The Drawing Center and renowned tattoo artist, historian, and curator Don Ed Hardy, the exhibition includes hundreds of finished drawings, sketchbooks, painted sheets of flash, and engraved acetate stencilsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which were often initialed or signed and passed on to successive generations of tattoo artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as well as original tattoo parlor signs, tattoo machines, historical photographs, and videos. Many of the drawings reflect the exchange and interaction between the commissioner and the tattoo artist. "Pierced Hearts and True Love," which is accompanied by a catalog with essays by Hardy and several noted tattoo histori-

38 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

ans, will travel to Williamstown, Mass., Miami, and San Francisco. For more information and special events programming, please call The Drawing Center at 212/219-2166. Also on view in Manhattan is "The Devil's Blue: American Tattoo Art and Practice Through the Port of New York(1840-1961)," at The South Street Seaport Museum through October 15. The exhibition traces the evolution of tattoo history in the neighborhoods surrounding the Seaport from its introduction by sailors in the 1840s to the official Board of Health ban in 1961. The resulting "New York style" was characterized by themes of loyalty, superstition, and vice."The Devil's Blue," organized by guest curator Amy Krakow,features 140 pieces of archival material, including flash, original tools, and photographs. For more information, please call 212/748-8600. "Eye Tattooed America," a traveling exhibition organized by

Don Ed Hardy and the Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago, is at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, Calif., through October 8. The exhibition features tattoo-inspired art and sheets of flash, including early popular designs culled from movies, advertising, and comic strips, as well as other images that display the influence of the Pacific Rim. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog. For more information, please call 714/494-8971.

Artists Howard Finster, Tony Fitzpatrick, Charlie Lucas, Justin McCarthy, Yvonne Wells, Chucicie Williams, and Malcah Zeldis are included with major contemporary artists in "Elvis & Marilyn: 2x Immortal," a large traveling exhibition devoted to American pop culture icons Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. The exhibition will be at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, through September 24, and at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan from October 15, 1995, through January 7, 1996. The continuing fascination with these two entertainers is explored through diverse genres and works that illustrate the artist's role in the myth-making process. Context and background will be provided at the New-York Historical Society with "Creating American Heroes," an exhibition exploring the meaning offame in America from the 18th century to the 20th century, using objects from its permanent collection. "Elvis & Marilyn: 2x Immortal" is accompanied by an illustrated catalog. For more information, please call the Cleveland Museum of Art at 216/421-7340 and the New-York Historical Society at 212/873-3400.

Crop Art Earthwork designs of a grand scale can be viewed at the second annual exhibition of Crop Art, held at various locations throughout Dutchess County, N.Y., through October. The uniquely planted and plowed fields of fourteen local farmers, as well as massive sculptures constructed of crops or farming implements, can be viewed from various spots and from the air. In conjunction with

the festival,there will be an exhibition of folk art from September 2 through September 17 at the Breezy Hill Orchard at 200 Centre Road in Clinton Corners, featuring contemporary paintings, woodcarvings, metal sculptures, and furniture. For more information and best viewing times, please call 914/677-6764.

ELVIS QUILT; Yvonne Wells; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 1991; cotton blends, ricrac, sequins, yarn, and buttons; 80 48. Collection of the artist and Robert Cargo Folk Art Gallery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

"Freedom" Marker pen on paper 1992 16 x 20"

Jamie Nathenson

Early Daguerreotypes in Washington "Secrets of the Dark Chamber: surface to reveal the silver The Art of the American beneathâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in an attempt to make Daguerreotype" is on view at the up for the lack of natural color. National Museum of American The wide array of subjects Art, Smithsonian Institution, in includes studio portraits, scenes of Washington, D.C.,through Octoeveryday life, town views, draber 22. The extensive exhibition matic landscapes, ships, gold of American photography from mining in the West, and workers 1839 to 1860 includes daguerreoin the workplace posing with their types revealing hand-made tools. The exhibition is accomchanges to the shiny surface of the panied by a 324-page,fully illusplateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pastel tinting as well as trated catalog. For information, points of light scratched into the please call 202/357-2700.

Lonnie Holley Sculpture at The White House A 1993 sculpture by Alabama self-taught artist Lonnie Holley is included in the second installation of a four-part series entitled "Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House," on view in the First Ladies Garden. Leverage, a sculpture constructed of concrete,found wood, paint, and straw,from the collection of the Michael C.

Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, is one of a selection of 12 contemporary sculptures from museums in the Southeast. Holley was present at the May 17 luncheon reception hosted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in honor of the exhibition and its participants. The exhibition will be on view through September.

"Gustav Mahler" Marker pen on paper 1993 16 x 20"

Joy MOOS GALLERY WORKS OF ART

355 NE 59thTerrace, Miami, Florida 33137 (305) 754-9373 / Fax (305)757-2124

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 39

In PThursuit of collected some of the great masterShe e works of folk painting and sculpture, but ice M. it would be wrong to call Alice M.

Al Kaplan Kaplan a collector of American folk art.

Collection In an age characterized by high levels of GERARD C WERTKIN

specialization, Alice Kaplan's interests remained widely and resolutely eclectic,

although always informed by a consistent aesthetic excellence. In 1981, after almost three decades of collecting "slowly and haphazardly," as she described it, she still regarded the acquisition of works of art more "as an enjoyable and stimulating pursuit [than] as building a collection in the conventional sense." 40 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

CHILD WITH A BASKET Artist unknown Mount Vernon, Kennebec County, Maine c. 1815 Oil on wood panel 34 >, 18/ 1 4" Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Alice M. Kaplan, 1977.13.1

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 41

Through adventurous pursuit and an approach that was discerning, but

42 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

PORTRAIT OF SARAH PRINCE (also known as SILVER MOON or GIRL AT THE PIANOFORTE) John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854) c. 1801 Oil on canvas 52/ 1 2 39/ 3 4"

WOMAN IN BLACK RUFFLED DRESS Ammi Phillips (1788-1865) Possibly Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut, or Amenia, Dutchess County, New York c. 1836 Oil on canvas 32 27"

To be sure, chance played a role in Alice Kaplan's collecting, but less so, I believe, than she often implied. Hildegard Bachert of New York's Galerie St. Etienne, from whom Mrs. Kaplan acquired drawings and watercolors by Egon Schiele and Kathe Kollwitz, remembers her as an educated, rather deliberate and thoughtful collector for whom careful study was always part of the process of acquisition.' Gerald Kornblau met

Mrs. Kaplan in 1968, the first year that he exhibited at the Winter Antiques Show. She purchased an extraordinary weathervane in the form of a long-billed curlew from him at the preview; several years later, in 1971, he sold her the impressive "Angel Gabriel" tavern sign from Guilford, New York. He remembers her as a determined collector with a highly cultivated eye, who could come to a quick decision in the pressured

opening moments of an antique show.' Through adventurous pursuit and an approach that was discerning, but no less intuitive, Mrs. Kaplan built a collection that was anything but haphazard, despite her self-deprecating remarks to the contrary. Alice M. Kaplan died on May 14, 1995, at the age of ninety-one. Early in her long and productive life, she studied painting at the Art Students League, and she always retained a sensitive artist's eye, the impact of which was obvious in her collecting. Her education was interrupted by marriage, residence for several years in Cuba, and the rearing of her four children. It was her decision to return to Columbia University, however, that provided focus to her lifelong interest in art. In 1966, at a time in life when many anticipate retirement, Alice Kaplan received a master of arts degree in the history of art from Columbia. Her thesisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on a drawing by Diirerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was published in Art Bulletin, the quarterly journal of the College Art Association, in 1974. A generous patron of the arts, Mrs. Kaplan served as president of the American Federation of Arts from 1967 to 1977. She was also chairman of the Advisory Council, Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, and a member of the Visiting Committee of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. It was her passion for art and her role as a collector that brought her to these and many other leadership roles and responsibilities. Alice Kaplan's collection was not large as great collections go, but it was full of wonder and surprise. Among its strengths were old master drawings, pre-Columbian sculpture, the stunning 1888 trompe-l'oeil Mr. Hulings' Rack Picture, by William Michael Harnett, and a watercolor depicting the Square of San Marco, Venice, by Maurice B. Prendergast, that one art historian considered the artist's "supreme work on paper."4 These, the imposing works of African and Asian art, and much more graced Mrs. Kaplan's welcoming homes in

no less intuitive, Mrs. Kaplan built a collection that was anything but haphazard....

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 43

...it is significant, however, to note how strongly the works of American folk art New York City and on Long Island. Despite the diversity of this collection, art historians have marveled at its aesthetic unity while disagreeing about its principal focus. For Linda Bantel, who until recently was director of the Museum of American Art at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, it was the "simple contours" and "subtle colors" of the disparate works of art in the Kaplan Collection, along with a clear emphasis on the human figure, that provided a unifying element.5 For Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., curator of American painting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, however, it was Mrs. Kaplan's interest in line that provided the common thread, "line that in the hand of a master creates a nervous consciousness and a special awareness." Many of the

44 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

works in the Kaplan collection, he suggested, possessed these characteristics, which in turn were expressive of a "primitive, direct power."' Because Alice Kaplan's collection embodied almost a universal overview of the world's art, without regard to time or place, it may not be surprising that she was also drawn to American folk paintings and sculptures; it is significant, however, to note how strongly the works of American folk art that she acquired held up against the other important objects in her collection. A fourteenth-century Burgundian Virgin and Child in sculpted limestone, for example, and the monumental portrait of Mrs. Ostrander and Her Son, Titus, by the nineteenth-century American folk artist Ammi Phillips, complement

each other wonderfullyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the figures are still and self-possessed, each work emphasizes the bond between mother and child, and there is an overarching expression of maternal pride and protectiveness. In the Kaplan collection, folk art was not relegated to the margins; indeed, it was brought to center stage. Alice Kaplan's collecting was never driven by fashion or by the marketplace. As she remarked in 1977 in referring to her purchase of Ammi Phillips's Woman in Black Ruffled Dress, "It was, I guess, only what seems to govern all my choicesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the artistic quality of the object and its particular appeal for me."' It is an elegant portrait, and its acquisition marked the beginning of Alice Kaplan's passionate interest in this

NEW YORK BALLANCE DRYDOCK Jurgan Frederick Huge (1809-18781 Bridgeport, Connecticut 1877 Watercolor, pencil, gouache on buff pa per 233/4 X 35/ 3 4 "

that she acquired held up against the other important objects in her collection. great painter. Indeed, by any measure, among the seven or more portraits by Phillips eventually collected by Mrs. Kaplan are two or three of the artist's greatest works: the portraits of Mrs. Ostrander and her son; a hand-

some boy in green with primer, peach, and dog; and Woman in Black Ruffled Dress. When Mrs. Kaplan acquired the portrait of the Woman in Black, very little was known about Ammi Phillips. Indeed, Mrs. Kaplan purchased it in a charity auction at ParkeBernet in New York for fifty dollars. So sure was her artistic eye that this portrait has remained a major work of art in the Kaplan Collection. Alice M. Kaplan served as a Trustee and officer of the Museum of American Folk Art for many years. She not only was a generous friend and patron, but also participated actively

in the life of the Museum. In 1981, on the occasion of the Museum's twentieth anniversary, she served as curator of an exhibition celebrating the Museum's permanent collection, a challenge that she accepted with her characteristic brio and enthusiasm. I had the privilege of working closely with her on that installation. She and I, together with Cordelia Rose, who then served as the Museum's registrar, had a series of lengthy meetings at an art warehouse in upper Manhattan where the Museum's collections were then stored. We generally traveled between midtown and 135th Street, where the warehouse was located, by bus. Then nearing eighty years of age, Mrs. Kaplan was a robust and spirited companion, and our wide-ranging conversations demonstrated the keenness of

ANGEL GABRIEL Artist unknown First quarter of 19th century Painted and gilded wood 24 (high) 461 / 2(between wing tips) 18" deep

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 45

Alice Kaplan generously lent works from her collection her intellect and her openness to new ideas. During the installation, Mrs. Kaplan positioned each work of art herself, meticulously deciding upon the appropriate sight-line and integration of objects spanning two hundred years. The Museum was then housed on one floor of a townhouse on West 53rd Street in Manhattan, but it had never seemed so splendid as it did then. Among the works of art chosen by Mrs. Kaplan for the 1981 exhibition was a painting on board depicting a child with a basket that had been found in an old house in Mount Vernon, Maine. This was but one of Mrs. Kaplan's several generous contributions to the Museum's permanent collection; it is currently included in an exhibition organized by the Museum at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Another gift was a fine weathervane in the form of a cow, probably from the shop of L.W. Cushing & Sons in Waltham, Massachusetts. Both are illustrated here. Alice Kaplan generously lent works from her collection for exhibition in various museums, large and small, throughout the country. The published catalog of highlights from her collection contains Linda Bantel's careful exhibition history for each work illustrated!' All of Mrs. Kaplan's great works of folk art have been shown at the Museum of American Folk Art at least once. The portrait of Sarah Prince by John Brewster, Jr., was included in the Museum's initial exhibition in 1962, before she owned this compelling work of art, and was exhibited here most recently in 1990 in "Five Star Folk Art: One Hundred American Masterpieces." Moreover, Alice Kaplan's folk paintings and sculpture were invariably selected by curators for inclusion in the most memorable presentations of American folk art in the last three decades. The distinguished scholar Jean Lipman, whose pioneering work in the field is well recognized, turned to Mrs.

46 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

GODDESS OF LIBERTY WEATHERVANE Cushing 8 White Waltham, Massachusetts c. 1870 Skirt, copper; top of figure, alloy of tin and lead 4(height, including flag pole) â&#x20AC;˘ 1 59/ 30 â&#x20AC;˘ 12%,..

for exhibition in various museums, large and small, throughout the country. Kaplan for major loans to "The Flowering of American Folk Art," shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1974, and "American Folk Painters of Three Centuries," presented by that institution in 1980, as well

tor of an exhibition at the Museum of the portraits of Ammi Phillips in 1968. A scholar as well as a collector, Mrs. Kaplan worked very closely with Mary Black on the installation of the Museum's first Ammi Phillips exhibi-

as "Five Star Folk Am" More recently, loans from the Kaplan Collection to the Museum included several of the signature pieces featured in "Revisiting Ammi Phillips: Fifty Years of American Portraiture." The Phillips exhibition, a comprehensive retrospective and the first major exhibition of his work in more than twenty-five years, was sponsored by the J.M. Kaplan Fund Inc., which had been established by Alice Kaplan's late husband, Jacob M. Kaplan, in 1945. The very generous grant to the Museum was in celebration of Mrs. Kaplan's ninetieth birthday. The grant was especially fitting: Alice Kaplan served as honorary cura-

tion, and it was appropriate that last year's retrospective should be presented in her honor. Whatever drove her collecting passion, it is clear that Alice M. Kaplan did not set out to create a monument to herself, or for that matter, a museum. Her collecting was a personal affair related to home and family. The beautiful objects that she owned fit comfortably into the places where she and her family lived, and the publication of the catalog of her collection in 1981 was prompted, she wrote, by "family affection." Her achievement, nevertheless, was significant. By recognizing the inherent power of art, wherever or whenever

created, "folk" or "fine," she helped break down barriers to its full understanding and appreciation.* Gerard C. Wertkin is director ofthe Museum ofAmerican Folk Art.

COW WEATHERVANE Possibly LW. Cushing & Sons Waltham, Massachusetts 1870-1880 Molded and painted copper 17 28 â&#x20AC;˘ 6" Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Alice M. Kaplan, 1977.13.3

NOTES 1 Alice M. Kaplan,"Foreword," in Linda Bantel, The Alice M. Kaplan Collection (New York: Advisory Council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, 1981), p. 7. 2 Hildegarde Bachert, conversation with author, June 7, 1995. 3 Gerald Komblau,conversation with author, June 19, 1995. 4 Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr.,"Alice Kaplan Collection," Portfolio, vol.4 (May/June 1982), p. 84. 5 Bantel, op. cit., p. 9. 6 Stebbins, op. cit, p. 85. 7 Quoted in Julia Weissman,"American Folk Art in Private Collections: The Kaplan Collection," The Clarion, no.7 (Spring 1977), p. 12. 8 See Bantel, op. cit.

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 47

A Little Pepper, a Little Salt

Aaron Birnbaum ANNE MAI

WOMAN AT THE WELL Brooklyn 1965-1970 Oil and varnish on wood 23 45" Collection of Mark Davis

Counesy K.S. Art, New York. N.Y.

Detail at right

aron Birnbaum celebrated his one hundredth birthday in July of this year. When consulted about the two birthday parties to be held in his honor,one in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and the other at the Museum of American Folk Art in Manhattan, he beamed with pleasure and said it would be "like a wedding." Still turning out paintings at an enviable rate, Birnbaum modestly ascribes his longevity and continued productivity to inborn factors: "If you are durable, your resistance can overcome a lot of trouble. Like a house with a good foundation, there is no water in the basement or anything. It is not the strength you got, it is the durable you got that [helps] you overcome all your troubles." In 1988, while taking a course in twentieth-century American folk art at the Museum's Folk Art Institute, I asked my teacher, Randall Morris, if he knew an older artist whose work I could document. Randall sent me to a young sculptor, Kerry Schuss, who had for some time

41I FALL 1995 FOLK ART

served as cheerleader, protector, and supplier of art materials to several interesting older artists whose work he believed in and was trying to sell. Kerry was particularly enthusiastic about the idea of my doing research on the life and work of Aaron Birnbaum. As Birnbaum was well into his nineties, I felt! had little time to lose. My first set of interviews took me to Birnbaum's extraordinarily cluttered and art-stuffed Brooklyn apartment, where he works on his living room couch surrounded by big buckets of paint. There I found an immensely appealing man,barely four feet nine inches tall but squarely solid with a heavily accented, gravelly voice and a crooked grin. His paintings took me completely by surprise. They were everywhereâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on the walls, on the furniture, under the furniture, stacked on the floorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and gave us barely enough room to sit in the front hall by the outside door. Painted on plywood and on found objects such as mirrors, bulletin boards, fruit crate tops, and even a crib back, Binibaum's paintings are rooted in his own cultural history, but are generally more funky and rough than most traditional memory

50 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Counesy KS. Art, New York, N.Y.

was alone in the house and I didn't know what to do.... I bought brushes and paint and all this here and I started to paint."

Courtesy K.S. Art, New York. N.Y

paintings. Formally, there is also a great variety of approachesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some works are linear and graphic, but most are painted in a loose, expressionistic mode. To say that I have interviewed Aaron Birnbaum is to overstate considerably my role in the interaction. Suggestions to speak of his art, his techniques, and his artistic philosophy go by mostly unnoticed as he continues his inimitable monologues. Although any direct question about art is usually shrugged off, he has a sure sense of his intent and clearly describes his aesthetic decision-making."When I start to paint," says Birnbaum,"I have a space and I figure what I am gonna put on it. Maybe I'll put on this or that which I have seen. If you paint a picture, you put on something over here and if it don't fit, it's got to be over there. It don't correspond. Sometimes I make a mistake, so I fix it." Now, years after our first interviews, Birnbaum remains virtually unchanged. His apartment looks the sameâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a jumble of hung and stacked paintings over and around the many boxes that he never unpacked after his move fifteen years ago. He tells mostly the same stories and hardly looks older than when I first met him. For the past thirty years, Birnbaum has painted what he calls his "remembering pictures." He says he has painted "probably a thousand of them." They have rounded out his life in a way that has been both stimulating and comforting. They have given him a focus, a source of welcome recognition, and an enviable ability to relive and rewrite " I parts of his life that are still raw and painful to him. Born of Jewish parents in Skola, a small town in Eastern Galicia, then a region of Austria-Hungary, Birnbaum had an independent but lonely childhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;his father was in the United States and his mother worked obsessively to support her children. "I had a father thousands of miles away and my mother was struggling to make a living to see we had enough food and everything, so she didn't have time to take care of me," Birnbaum says."So I was raised up by myself. I was like a child wandering in the woods by himself and nobody gives any attention. That is how I was raised." Birnbaum remembers his school days as full of abysmal failure and great feelings of inferiority. Because of the mixed nationalities of his hometown and what he felt was the marginal nature of the Jewish community, he was "always in the fear." His greatest pleasure became the exploration of the beautiful, heavily forested mountains around Skola where he loved to roam and fish by himself or with friends. There he felt both at home and free. "The mountains and the woods belonged to everybody," he says. Apprenticed to a tailor at the age of thirteen, Birnbaum was expected to take on, overnight, the economic responsibilities of an adult, working from five in the morning until ten at night, six days a week. His schooling was abruptly ended and his beloved forays into the woods were

YOU LISTEN TO ME Brooklyn 1995 Acrylic and varnish on wood 12 18" K.S. Art, New York, N.Y.

severely curtailed. This sudden, reluctant, and painful leap into adulthood is a recurring subject in Birnbaum's conversation and art. When Birnbaum was seventeen, his family traveled to the United States to be reunited with his father. "They were talking war and I was of the age to go to war," says Aaron,"so my father sent for[us]â&#x20AC;&#x201D;my mother and I came with my sister." Settling first on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the family eventually moved to Brooklyn, where Birnbaum has lived ever since. Birnbaum married when he was twenty-four, and expanded his skills by attending a design school. Eventually, he started his own manufacturing business, producing women's clothing of his own design for thirty years and raising three children along the way. Around 1960, after ten grueling years of struggle with cancer, Birnbaum's wife, Sadie, died. She was in her mid-fifties. It was after her

show and you can bring as many pictures as you want.' And do you know who bought my pictures? To my surprise, artists bought my pictures." In 1975, Aaron Birnbaum's work was included in a group show at The Brooklyn Museum. It was a great success for him. Demand was brisk from members of his large extended family, and he painted enough pictures to meet their requests and to fill the walls of his apartment. In 1985, one of Aaron's granddaughters took a young artist and art teacher, Mark Davis, to see her grandfather's work. Impressed, Davis showed some works to Kerry Schuss, who has since arranged for Birnbaum to be in several group shows and continues to represent him. There is no question that the attention has spurred Birnbaum's output. His work may be uninfluenced by other art or teaching, but even at his age there is a dream of reaching a larger audience. He longs to be recognized.

death and his subsequent retirement from business that Birnbaum began to paint. "I was tired and disgusted of business," he says. "I was alone in the house and I didn't know what to do. I had gone to school for designing and knew how to sketch, so I figured I will start to paint. I bought brushes and paint and all this here [referring to the surrounding materials] and I started to paint." Birnbaum recounts his first official recognition with great pleasure. "Some friends, they come over to my house and said,'Why don't you have a show? They have a show at The Brooklyn Museum.' So I said, 'How do you have a show?' I figure myself I am an amateur. But they said, 'Your pictures is nice.' And you know, I'll tell you, over there it is not so easy to get in at The Brooklyn Museum. You gotta first bring half a dozen pictures. And then they analyze your work. You gotta leave it there a long time. To my surprise I got a letter saying, 'You're admitted to a

Was the spontaneous and unselfconscious nature of Birnbaum's art "tainted" by the modest recognition he received? There seems to have been no change at all in style or technique in his paintings after the attention given his work. The same can be said of Birnbaum's exposure to fine art. In 1978, his daughter took him on a European tour. Of all the art he saw, the Sistine Chapel impressed him the most. "Everything is there artâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the floors, the walls, the ceilings are art," he says. But there was no noticeable difference in his painting after he returned from his "grand tour." Except for a few distinctive very early paintings, the most reliable way to date his paintings is from the discoloration of the varnish he invariably uses. As for what Birnbaum might feel about the influence of folk artists whose work he has seen, when he was given an expensive coffee table book of the paintings of Grandma Moses, he was furious. "I told them to take it back! They

CHARFONTE HOTEL IN CAPE MAY Brooklyn 1994 Acrylic and varnish on wood 15 - 26" Collection of Anne and Vincent Mai

FAMILY GOING SHOPPING Brooklyn 1993 Acrylic and varnish on board 16 29" Collection of Kerry Schuss

BOY FISHING IN MOUNTAINS Brooklyn 1988 Acrylic on cork bulletin board 24 36" Collection of Anne and Vincent Mai

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 51

paid a hundred dollars! I said, 'Take it back if you can get ten dollars, even five dollars. I can paint my pictures myself!'" The paintings Birnbaum has done over the more than thirty years of his career fall topically and stylistically into two reasonably distinct categories. There are his more traditional memory paintings, nearly all of scenes from his childhood in Europe, and there are his paintings of scenes or subjects drawn from experiences, newspaper articles, or interests of his life in the United States from the age of seventeen onward. Although he uses his tailoring design skills in plotting his compositions, he is seldom concerned with precision and tends to simplify and abstract his shapes with an unrestrained use of paint. Birnbaum's earliest paintings are in oil; the rest are in acrylic, which he leaves in large buckets and thins regu-

didn't clean it up like they do now. Both my grandparents died from falling on the ice. Broke their hands, their feet, their arms." There is a group of paintings that are "remembering pictures," but go beyond the reportorial in both subject and feeling. Woman at the Well, for instance, is a sort of dream picture in which all the elements seem suspended, with only the straight white lines and the white rectangles of the houses holding the picture on the page. Although there is nothing specifically personal in this painting, it has a ghostly feeling of suspended ancestral time, possibly because of Birnbaum's interesting use of almost-pure opaque white in the faces and houses—and the vertical line next to the well. There are also "remembering pictures" that are autobiographical in a more personal sense, with a strong emo-

larly with water. He sometimes mixes paints in a can but more often applies one out-of-the-can paint on top of another. The grains in the plywood or found wooden objects on which he paints are used as textural elements. When he is finished with a painting, Birnbaum applies varnish haphazardly, adding dimension and interest by missing some patches completely. Winter Scene is representative of his more traditional narrative memory paintings, peopled landscapes in which he is interested primarily in recording the places, objects, and feelings of a specific time. This is a genre scene from his youth painted in a quintessentially "folksy," naive style but with a painterly abandon atypical of folk art. The crisp treatment of the sleds and the figures—in contrast with the textured mountains, which are done in a modernist expressionistic manner—give them a Grandma Moses feeling. Aaron's comment about this picture is characteristically nostalgic and chilling at the same time."My city was like a valley. In the winter it was like an ice skating place. They

tional content. Boy Fishing in Mountains works well on several levels. It is compelling formally because of its repeated curves and angles. It is gripping emotionally because of the almost surreal treatment of the landscape. Even the lake, which seems to end in a cliff, looks like a wall that is encompassing the boy. It is not surprising that Birnbaum's memories of fishing are among his happiest. He says that this work is a self-portrait; the woods belonged to him and he was at home there. Many of Birnbaum's paintings based on childhood memories are idylls of family happiness and togetherness— outings at the beach, gatherings in the family garden, gestures of affection and closeness between parents and children. Bimbaum insists, however, that these works were not painted from the reality of his childhood. "No! When I was a child, my life was not happy. I felt like jealousy for myself. Why different children were having all this here and my father was so far away!" In his paintings, Birnbaum's hometown and its inhabitants have taken on the

WINTER SCENE Brooklyn 1975 Oil and varnish on wood 23 45" Collection of Mark Davis

New York. N.Y.

Detail at left

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 53

quality of a lost paradise, but for him it was a paradise in which he had little participation. The paintings about Birnbaum's life in America are on the whole quite different from his "remembering pictures." They are individual and quirky, closer to the category of "outsider art" than to nostalgic "memory art." These pictures are sometimes anecdotal, sometimes portraiture. Among them are some of Birnbaum's favorite images, which he churns out by the dozen. They are never quite the same and they are always interesting. You Listen to Me depicts one of Birnbaum's favorite subjects. "This picture is made like two people," says the artist. "Not everybody is alike. Some are smarter than others. The same with animals. Even birds flying from one continent to the other. There is always somebody in front." The style of this painting is loose; the forms are messy; the paint is slapped about. The effect feels exactly right. Birnbaum has also painted a remarkable self-portrait. Using a photograph taken when he was nineteen, he has painted himself as a fashionable and sophisticated young man. His graceful pose and the composition of the photograph are both marvelous. His collar is up and his hat is rakishly angled. Birnbaum loves this image and displays it prominently in his apartment. Self-Portrait provides a good review of Birnbaum's painting techniques and fine design sense. The paints are richly layered and the colors of the background are well chosen to highlight the subject. Birnbaum's use of paint is complex and sure and his pigments are "juicy." In this portrait, he has encapsulated his idea of the young man he was long ago. His abstraction of the photographic image and the intensity of the simplified, compressed form of the young man—rendered with a strikingly sophisticated painterliness—has produced an unforgettable, intimate likeness of youthful vanity and selfabsorption. Although Birnbaum's paintings are difficult to date since he has continued to paint both images of his European childhood and all his favorite themes of his life in the United States, there are several new themes he has developed in the years I have known him. In Family Going Shopping he depicts a conventional, wholesome family on an outing, the mother with her purse and child firmly in hand—the perfect 1950s family. But they are all floating. With a stripe and a few quick brushes of paint, Birnbaum establishes an abstract ground above which the family levitates. The ground is created and then completely ignored. There are other "floating" paintings as well—of cherubic flautists, dancing bears, and cafe patrons all blithely defying gravity. In Charfonte Hotel in Cape May, painted in 1995, Birnbaum has taken a photograph of this one-hundred-fiveyear-old hotel from National Geographic magazine and wonderfully abstracted it in black and white. Like the

"You got to put on a little pepper and salt for people to like.... Artists is something like cooks. Not everybody has the same taste."

54 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

designs in his tailoring books, everything is initially laid out with a ruler, very carefully, only to be altered by the creative process as the building burgeons up from the straight line of its base, swelling organically to fill the canvas. The old man and the dog in front of the hotel are added loosely and in quite a different style. The graphic use of black and white, the intricate details around the roof, the dramatic use of architecture as a compositional element— all are new for Birnbaum, indicating that he is still capable of innovation and still evolving in his centennial year. Birnbaum expresses pleasure and relief in the relative ease of his old age: "I struggled to make a living, but now I am relieved of that." This man who has described his life primarily as a long line of hurdles, has in his pleasant later years used his visual talents to transform that life into a series of inventive, optimistic images. Aaron Birnbaum has a voice that not only is as strong as the opinions he loves to offer, but also is often compelling and poetic. The most articulate academic analysis of intent, conceptualization, technique, composition, and taste couldn't come close to the precision of Birnbaum's descriptions of the processes of his art. The following quotes are among his responses to a group of slides of his paintings I once showed him. "You know how I paint? I do painting the same way as I do the designing. Take a coat, a ladies coat. It has a front and a back and a pair of sleeves. So you got to put on something for the people to like it. You got to put on a little pepper and salt for people to like. It is the same with the pictures. It is like an ornament. You hang it up and it shines up the house. You gotta have the feeling to beautify the pictures for people to like them. Pepper and salt. I must have eight hundred, a thousand pictures and every picture is a little different." "You see, what I want to bring out is that I made pictures that if people look at it, it said something to them. Not like people make modern pictures! You look at it this way, it's a cat; the other way, it's a dog. I don't know. I don't go for it." "Artists is something like cooks. Not everybody has the same taste. So if you cook something, you have to satisfy your taste and the same goes for a picture. A picture has to satisfy my taste, too. It has to agree with my taste, see. A lot of artists they went to school but they have not got the feeling of the painting to put the beauty on it. If you can't put the beauty on the picture, the picture is nothing." "The painting is a thing that keeps me alive. It keeps me going and people like it. If you give somebody a present like a box of candy or clothes or whatever, so how long does it last? It's gone. But a picture. You look at it so that you remind yourself about you. So this way is why I like to paint and my family they got pictures and they look at the pictures. And I go and see them and I am hanging there."* Anne Mai, a native North Carolinian and graduate of Duke University, has lived in New York since the early 1970s. She ran a decorative arts and antique business before entering the Museum's Folk Art Institute, where she became particularly interested in the work ofself-taught artists. Mai is currently enrolled at Hofstra University and is working toward a master's degree.

SELF-PORTRAIT Brooklyn 1994 Acrylic and varnish on board 22 18" Collection of Kerry Schuss

Aaron Birnbaum, hand-tinted photograph, c. 1914

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 55

Nur

Norwegian Folk Art: The

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What happens to the folk / art tradition of a people f rom migrate . , . who the circumstances in which it had arisen?" ih:40 4* 56 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

I e'

Migration of a Tradition STACY C. HOLLANDER

WOOL BASKET ILILLHORGI WITH MEDIEVAL DECORATION Artist unknown Fjagesund, Kyiteseid Telemark, Norway 15th-17th century Wood 17/ii x 11% 17" Fylkesmuseum for Telemark og Grenland, Skien, Norway BM 1954-22 FALL 1995 FOLK ART 57

COVERLET IN PICTORIAL TAPESTRY TECHNIQUE IBILLEDVEVI DEPICTING THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS AND THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI Weaver unidentified Hvamme Farm, Lom, Gudbrandsdalen, Norway 1760 Linen, wool, metallic threads 711 / 2 471 / 4" Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo, Norway NF 1906-841

This is the main question that guest curator Marion Nelson addresses in the exhibition "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition," which will be on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from September 16, 1995, through January 7, 1996.

58 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

The people Nelson refers to are the nearly one million Norwegians who made their way to America from 1825 into the early twentieth century, a number almost equal to the entire population of Norway at the beginning of that period. The folk art tradition they

brought with them was highly developed and complex, with roots going back to prehistoric times, and it persisted in the decorative motifs and craft techniques that appeared in utilitarian forms found in NorwegianAmerican homes. Initially, the chal-

BISHOP'S CHAIR WITH CARVING OF LATE MEDIEVAL TYPE Reverend Erik Kristian Johnsen 11863-1923/ St. Paul, Minnesota c. 1900 Painted wood 44 33 29" Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa Luther College Collection 756

lenge of adaptation and assimilation to thetic traditions that followed in the the new environment took precedence 1930s and the full-blown revival that over a dedicated continuation of folk has continued since the 1960s. art production. As a result, Norwe"Norwegian Folk Art: The gian-American history is marked by a Migration of a Tradition" spans about lapse and then the reintroduction of four centuries in the development of traditional arts in a long process of Norwegian folk art and creates a juxcultural self-discovery. taposition of three categories of materIn 1825, fifty-two people departed from Stavanger, Norway, on the Restauration (Restoration), a small sloop they had purchased, with a cargo of iron to sell upon their arrival and a vision of a "New Norway" on American soil. After a false start in New York state, this small band made its way to Illinois and founded a community that became a springboard for western expansion. The waves of immigrants that followed sought areas offering land incentives. Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Iowa became centers of Norwegian life in America. These immigrants also felt at home in areas with ties to the fishing and shipping industries. New York City, especially Brooklyn, became the coastal counterpart to the midwestern settlements, which had an agricultural base. Although the Norwegian immigrants were assimilated quickly and successfully into American life, they maintained a strong sense of Norwegian culture within their own communities. From the 1890s ialâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;works that represent the history until after World War I, when there of folk art in Norway, objects that was great external pressure for immi- came to this country with emigrants grant groups to become "American- from Norway, and artworks made in ized," the Norwegian community America in the Norwegian tradition. responded with a blatant display of Nelson proposes that it is primarily their identity that culminated in two "the form that ultimately migrates, centennial celebrations, one in 1914 rapidly losing its original function, but and one in 1925. This laid the founda- strong enough to generate new symtion for the interest in Norwegian aes- bolic meanings or aesthetic responses

that lead to its perpetuation.... [T]he historic approach points up the difference in the folk art of an old and stable society like that of rural Norway and that of a young and fluid one as found in America." These three types of material illustrate the changes that inevitably

take place when the carriers of a folk tradition relocate and, consequently, find themselves in circumstances that are different from those that created the tradition. The utilitarian nature of much Norwegian folk art production, for instance, was rendered virtually useless in America, as the functions of most items brought from Norway could be duplicated through commer-

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 59

FOUR CENTURIES OF NORWEGIAN FOLK ART major traveling exhibition,"Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition," opens at the Museum of American Folk Art on September 16, 1995, and will remain on view through January 7, 1996. This exhibition gloriously explores the continuity and richness of the folk art of Norway through more than 175 outstanding works of art, including vilcing-style ceremonial drinking vessels and exuberantly painted and decorated traveling trunks. Highlighting an extensive artistic legacy,"Norwegian Folk Art" examines a decorative arts tradition that was transported from Norway to America. Because of the significance of this exhibition, participating Norwegian museums are allowing many superb works of art from their collections to travel outside Norway for the first time. Every object in the exhibition has been painstakenly chosen and documented by guest curator Marion J. Nelson. Dr. Nelson, professor emeritus of art history at the University of Minnesota, and director emeritus of Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum,is also the author of a fully illustrated book documenting the Norwegian folk tradition that will accompany the exhibition. The Museum of American Folk Art has developed a rich complement of educational programs for adults and children that will provide a framework for understanding Norwegian-American cultural expression. See page 80 for programming information. Jointly organized by the Museum of American Folk Art, New York, and the Norwegian Folk Museum, Oslo, with the cooperation of Vesterheim, the NorwegianAmerican Museum, Decorah, Iowa, and presented through Norwegian Visions, a Norwegian-American cultural partnership program, "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition" will travel to three cities in the United States and then continue on to Norway.

SO FALL 1995 FOLK ART

cial goods in the areas that attracted the greatest numbers of settlers. Access to waterways, a wide industrial base, and the growing railroad system made manufactured goods at reasonable prices easily available, and artistic skills such as woodcarving, which had been applied to utilitarian objects in Norway, were set aside in the New World, continued as highlevel hobby activities, or adapted to economic survival in factories and other income-generating ventures. Two decorative themes run throughout the history of Norwegian folk art: the organic, as expressed in animal forms and in acanthus and scroll work, and the geometric, seen in intersecting lines and compass designs. Much of the material shows an accumulation of stylistic characteristics, from the late viking era through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods. This provides a rare opportunity to examine the transition from purely medieval motifs to a later folk art style that builds upon centuries of visual evolution. The acanthus tradition, in particular, is a rich source for comparison between a Norwegian expression that began in the Baroque period and its interpretation in the United States through the twentieth century. Although vigorous decoration is found in ceremonial and religious

forms such as altar panels and candelabra, the most extravagant application of organic motifs in painting and carving is on utilitarian pieces such as ale bowls and other woodenware, traveling and storage trunks, and furniture. While geometric ornamentation is expressed primarily in textiles, especially coverlets woven using a variety of techniques, it is also an important aspect of Norwegian woodcarving, as evidenced by numerous objects that display chip-carved and burnt designs. An intricately carved box for holding wool highlights the tension between the geometric and organic strains, and is a virtual encyclopedia of designs and motifs from the earliest period. The decoration and form of Norwegian objects was influenced by European artistic styles that traveled north through middle- and upper-class channels and were eventually translated into the arts of the farmers and laborers. The migration of decorative motifs through the social scale in Norway was mirrored in the United States, as the same impulses again found a place in middle- and upper-class Norwegian American communities. Norway's political history had a profound impact on the revival of interest in traditional arts in Norway and, later, in North America. From the

CARVED DRINKING HORN WITH DRAGON-STYLE (DRAGESTIL) DECORATION Lars Kinsaryik (1846-19251 Hardanger, Norway 1890 Birch 2 19 - 6" 1 13/ Collection of Dr. and Mrs. E.1. Nordby, Madison, Wisconsin

CARVED ALE BOWL WITH HORSEHEAD AND HUMAN FIGURE HANDLES KIENGE) Jon Endresen Folkedal Hardanger, Norway 1816 Painted birch burl 91 / 4 , 19/ 1 4 101 / 2" Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa, gift of John Hartmeyer, Stoddard, Wisconsin, in memory of Adeline Johnson Haltmeyer, 93.2.1

fourteenth century until May 17, 1814, when the Danish king ceded Norway to Sweden, Norway was under Danish dominion. Because its constitution was adopted on this date, May 17 became widely celebrated as the day of Norwegian independence. It was not until 1905, however, that Norway achieved true autonomy, when it separated from Sweden. In the period preceding this split, a sweeping movement of national romanticism was manifested in all the arts and created a heightened respect for the folk arts. As part of this turn-of-the-century revival, classes that provided instruction in carving traditional decorative motifs became popular, and had an impact on emigrants to the United States who continued to employ these motifs in their handcrafted arts. The work of immigrant carvers such as Knut Lee and Tarkjel Lansverk shows an awareness of the major decorative themes in Norwegian folk art, particularly the acanthus. The generation of artists born about 1860, to which these two carvers belong, was concerned with maintaining a Norwegian identity in the face of assimilation into the American mainstream, and their work is imbued with a national symbolism that derives from

both North American and Norwegian romanticism. Two years before he emigrated to the United States in 1892, Reverend Erik Kristian Johnsen attended classes on early Nordic carving in Oslo. After settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, Reverend Johnsen carved furniture for his home, using late medieval motifs for the embellishments. This crossover between the two countries is also exemplified by an elaborately carved and purely decorative drinking horn dated 1890, with motifs from folk and medieval sources, that was included in the Norwegian exhibition at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and was purchased by a Norwegian immigrant. The reclamation of folk art as the embodiment of the soul of Norway became a potent force in both the United States and Norway, and an exchange of art teachers and students was eventually initiated. That exchange endures today. Rosemaling, a floral decorative painting technique with strong regional traits, also plays an important role in the current revival, although it

made only a minor appearance in NorwegianAmerican arts prior to 1930. As in woodcarving, the heightened interest revolved around a key figure, in this case Per Lysne, who emigrated to Stoughton, Wisconsin, in 1907. Lysne is generally credited with popularizing rosemaling in the 1930s and 1940s, when his work was featured in magazines. Interestingly, his father was similarly connected with the earlier rosemaling revival in Sogn, Norway. By 1967, Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, responded to public demand by bringing a Norwegian artist to America for the first time with the express purpose of teaching rosemaling and judging works for an exhibition. Since then, this institution has been steadily involved in encouraging young artists to explore Norwegian arts in both traditional and nontraditional ways. The retention of traditional forms and decorative devices assumed importance in the Norwegian-American community as symbols of cultural unity and pride, rather than as necessary facets of life. The objects brought from Norway continued to inform generations of Norwegian-Americans about Norwegian visual traditions. In the early years of immigration in par-

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 81

ticular, the stability of the home culture maintained the viability of these objects, and economic necessity, as the immigrants struggled to establish themselves, kept such objects from being replaced until they wore out. The dates of objects produced in America in the Norwegian tradition, however, indicate a sharp decline in folk art production immediately following migration. The continuation of form and decoration in Norwegian regional styles became an expression of individual creativity rather than a fulfillment of local demands, and was frequently not commenced until after retirement, and then often as a recreational pastime. In addition, because the artisans generally worked in relative isolation, no major school of Norwegian folk art emerged until the twentieth century. The Norwegian awareness of its own folk heritage has been an unusually intellectualized one. According to historian Peter A. Munch, from the second half of the eighteenth century through the early twentieth, a national romantic trend in Norway led to a "peasant movement" that demanded political and economic equity and a "recognition of the peasant way of life as an expression of the national 'folk spirit' as opposed to the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the urban middle class." This thirst for equality and the dismantling of the class system made Norwegians particularly

suited emotionally for emigration to an America that vocally heralded just those values. The Norwegian experience becomes a model for studying this process of transmission and change through choices that were made over time to retain or discard visual and cultural values. Because of Norway's unique political, economic, and social history, however, the development of a Norwegian folk art tradition in America may not be strictly analogous to those of other cultures long represented in the United States. Some of the most vital manifestations of Norwegian-American folk art are, in fact, modern responses to the psychological need for a specific cultural identity within the American melting pot. This selfconscious seeking of a Norwegian heritage has been a recurring theme in NorwegianAmerican history from the nineteenth century, and especially since the 1960s, when it was nurtured through organizations that provided instruction, exhibitions, and events derived from Norwegian culture. The first generation of artisans with roots in Norwegian culture had firsthand experience of Norwegian folk art. The more removed in time from the point of emigration, however, the more idiosyncratic that interpretation became. Nelson has described this dynamic as a "combination of Norwegian tradition, inspiration from the new environment, and

sheer artistic ingenuity fostered by being created in relative isolation." The current revival of interest in Norwegian folk art has given rise to a generation of artists who practice traditional techniques in regional styles, but have also emerged as individual creative talents. In a uniquely "American" phenomenon, not all the artists who currently participate in this

revival are themselves of direct Norwegian heritage, although most live in proximity to heavily Norwegian communities or have married into families with a Norwegian background. Rather than being subsumed by American culture, as was once feared, it appears that the Norwegian heritage in America has instead attracted others to aspire to its ranks.*

PLATE WITH ROSEMALING IN TELEMARK STYLE Norma Getting Northfield, Minnesota 1992 Painted wood % 35/ 1 2" diam. Collection of Norma Getting

Stacy C. Hollander is Curator ofthe Museum ofAmerican Folk Art. This article is based largely on the research of Marion J. Nelson, professor emeritus of art history at the University of Minnesota, and director emeritus of Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa. OVAL BENTWOOD BOX AND CLAMP-ON COVER (TINE) WITH ROSEMALING Nikuls Buine (1789-1852) Fyresdal, Telemark, Nonyay Before 1851 Painted pine, birch 6% 14% 8%" Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa. 86.38.lab

62 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

MAIN STREET ANTIQUES and ART Colleen and Louis Picek Folk Art and Country Americana (319) 643-2065 110 West Main, Box 340 West Branch, Iowa 52358 On Interstate 80

Send a self-addressed stamped envelope for our monthly Folk-Art and Americana price list

An early 20th century polychrome painted folk carved portrait bust 7"x7"x4"

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Showing works of over thirty artists.

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 63

ALICE J. HOFFMAN AND MARYANN WARAKOMSKI

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART COLLECTION' Home Furnishings and Decorative Accessories Representing over 300 years ofAmerican design,from the late 1600s to the present, the Museum ofAmerican Folk Art CollectionTM brings within reach ofthe public the very best ofthe past to be enjoyedfor generations to come. New Directions The Museum welcomes three new licensees: Andrews & McMeel will have you tapping your feet and humming a tune next fall when it publishes a book of traditional folk songs, illustrated with images from the Museum's collection. Carvin Folk Art Designs has designed a stunning collection of gold-plated and enamel jewelry featuring traditional and contemporary American folk art images. Something for everyone and perfect for all occasions, the collection includes pins, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and cufflinks. Available this Fall. Gallery Partners, Ltd., has created a series of fine silk scarves and wool shawls to be worn year round. Inspired by paintings, frakturs, and furniture from the Museum's collection, these beautifully interpreted accessories will add style and charm to your wardrobe. So lovely, you may even be tempted to frame them. News from Museum Licensees This Fall, look for new product designs that express both the style and lifestyle of the 90sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;comfort and grace in a contemporary wayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from * Dakotah,Inc. * General Foods International Corporation *Imperial Wallcoverings,Inc.* The Lane Company,Inc.* Perfect Fit Industries* Remington Ap-

64 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

parel Co.,Inc.* Tyndale,Inc., and * Wild Apple Graphics,Ltd. Whether your preference is for traditional, period, or contemporary home furnishings, the Museum of American Folk Art CollectionTM in its many wonderful and diverse forms is an enduring source for the best in American design. Don't miss our next column for highlights of these products. Special Events Alice J. Hoffman was the featured guest speaker at Director's Furniture store in Tigard, Oregon. Director's and The Lane Furniture Company hosted the day's events, which included refreshments, a raffle, and an informative lecture,"The Art of Embellishment," focusing on America's 18th- and 19th-century paint-decorated home furnishings and accessories. Dear Customer Your purchase of Museumlicensed products directly benefits the cultural and educational activities of the Museum. Thank you for participating in the Museum's continuing effort to celebrate the style, craft, and tradition of American folk art. If you have any questions or comments regarding the Museum of American Folk Art Collection,TM please contact us at 212/977-7170.

The Lane Company, be.

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Family of Licensees Abbeville Press(212/888-1969) gift wrap, book/gift tags and quilt note cube.* Andrews & McMeel(816/932-6700) traditional folk art song book. Artwear,Inc.(800/551-9945) activewear, T-shirts.* Carvin Folk Art Designs,Inc.(212/755-6474)gold-plated and enamel jewelry.* Concord Miniatures (800/888-0936) 1"-scale furniture and accessories.* Dakotah,Inc.(800/325-6824) decorative pillows, table linens, woven throws, chair pads. Danforth Pewterers, Ltd. (800/222-3142) pewter jewelry and accessories, buttons, ornaments, keyrings.* Dynasty Dolls(800/888-0936) collectible porcelain dolls.* Enesco Corporation (800/436-3726) decorative home giftware collection. Galison Books(212/354-8840) note cards, address book, puzzle, holiday cards.* Gallery Partners, Ltd.(718/797-2547) silk, cotton, and chiffon scarves and wool shawls.* General Foods International Corporation (800/432-6333) coffee in decorative tins. Imperial Wallcoverings,Inc.(216/464-3700) wallcoverings, borders. James River Corporation, Creative Expressions Groups (800/843-6818) party goods. The Lane Company,Inc.,including LaneNenture and Lane Upholstery (800/447-4700) furniture (case goods, wicker and upholstered furniture). Lenox Collections(800/233-1885) Museum Treasury of Collectibles. Perfect Fit Industries(704/289-1531) machine-made in America printed bedcovers and coordinated bedroom products. Remington Apparel Co.,Inc. (203/821-3004) men's and women's ties.* Rose Art Industries(800/CRAYONS)jigsaw

Tyndale, Inc.

puzzles.* Rowe Pottery Works(608/7645435)Penhsylvania redware and salt-glazed stoneware(microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe).* Takashimaya Company,Ltd. (212/350-0550) home furnishings accessories and furniture (available only in Japan). Tyndale,Inc.(312/384-0800)lighting and lampshades. Wild Apple Graphics, Ltd. (800/756-8359) fine art reproduction prints and posters.* *Available in Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops. For mail-order information, contact Beverly McCarthy at 212/977-7170.

MUSEUM

NEWS

Special Events Weekend—June 2-4 nFriday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 2, 3, and 4, the Museum of American Folk Art celebrated the important contribution of textiles to American cultural life with programs and special events designed for quilt, textile, and decorative arts students and enthusiasts. Museum members and friends embarked on Friday for a field trip to the newly renovated Ballantine House, a national historic landmark that is part of The Newark Museum. The house, built in 1885 as a city residence for brewery owner John Home Ballantine, is a treasure of late Victorian design. The first stop was at The Newark Museum, where Ulysses G. Dietz, curator

Above: Marie Miranti Burnett, quilt artist Deft), sharing some tips with quilt novice Ruth Hogan. Right: William Brooks, recent graduate of the New York University/Museum of American Folk Art Master's Degree Program in Folk Art Studies, and Museum docent Linda Simon at lunch at the Ballantine House.

of decorative arts, gave a slide lecture entitled "Are We Doing The Right Thing?" The lecture was followed by a buffet luncheon served in the Trustees Room at the Ballantine House. The group was then given a detailed personalized tour of this historic home. On Saturday, Elizabeth Warren and Sharon Eisenstat, cocurators of the exhibition "Victorian Vernacular: The American Show Quilt," gave slide lectures relating to the exhibition. Warren presented "The American Show Quilt" and Eisenstat spoke on the social aspects of the era with "Artmakers: Victorian Women and the Japan Craze." The lectures were followed by demon-

strations of beading, quilting, and decoupage—all important crafts during the Victorian era—led by Alice Korach, Marie Miranti Burnett, and Dee Davis, each a leading craftswoman and instructor in her field. On Sunday, quiltmaker and teacher Leslie Levison conducted a lively quilt workshop called "Dragon Flies and Belly

Dancers" in which she emphasized the pictorial and narrative aspects and opulent Victorian needlework historically employed in the crazy quilt. Participants created their own crazy patch, and decorated it with embroidery, beads, mirrors, and sequins. All skill levels were welcome and represented.

Country Auction Update e are pleased to announce that the Museum's Benefit Country Auction, which took place on April 11, 1995, at Sotheby's, succeeded in raising more than $300,000 for our exhibition and educational programs. This enormous achievement would not have been possible without the help of a very special group of Museum supporters:

Benefit Committee Honorary Chairwoman Donna Hanover Giuliani Chairman and Museum Trustee Edward Lee Cave Corporate Chairman Edward Vermont Blanchard 18th & 19th Century Chairman Ralph 0. Esmerian 20th Century Chairwomen Anne Hill Blanchard and Gael Mendelsohn Silent Auction Chairwomen Michele Ateyeh and Donna Slade Dinner Chairwoman Linda Martinson Mayer Junior Chairwoman Jillian Johnson Catalog Chairmen William W. Stahl, Jr., Nancy C. Druckman, and Leslie Keno

Corporate Benefactors Johnson & Johnson Merrill Lynch Corporate Patrons Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Burson-Marsteller Debevoise & Plimpton The FINOVA Group Hill and Knowlton, Inc. Shearman & Sterling The Wilkerson Group Zenith Insurance Company In-kind Donations Invitation design and printing courtesy of Burnett Group and H. Steve and Clarissa Burnett Dinner wines courtesy of The Tuscan Estates of Ruffino Royalty Vodka and Bombay Sapphire Gin donated by Carillon Importers Inc. Party favors courtesy of Aromatique,Inc. Trucking provided by Hudson North American Van Lines and Despatch Moving & Storage Co.,Inc. We thank all of them again for their participation in this very special event!

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 65

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MUSEUM

NEWS

Folk Art Explorers' Club Visits Virginia he Museum's Folk Art Explorers' Club recently enjoyed one of its most varied tours. The excursion to Virginia, which took place from June 2 to June 7, had an exceptional itinerary, including visits to local self-taught artists Kacey Corneal, Robert Howell, and Rev. Anderson Johnson, as well as tours of Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art

THE SAM MCDOWELL MASTERS SERIES "Howling Wolf" Five Color-Scrimshawed Folding Knives, Box. Limited Edition: 50 Sets. Price: $4,000.00. Enquiries: P.O. Box 3546, Carmel, CA 93921.

_firW444/1 FOLK ART BY MAIL Specializing in 19th & 20th century interesting, unusual, and fun stuff. Including: Tramp and obsessive art, whirligigs, carvings, paintings, quilts, & items made from found objects. Circus Banner with excellent color & detail by Fred Johnson, 1940's 8'x 10'-(one ofseveral). 599 CUTLER AVE., MENTONE, AL 35984 (205)634-4037 Free lists will be sent to you on request. Photos lent. Please specify your areas of interest.

68 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Center at Colonial Williamsburg. In addition, the group of enthusiastic Museum members and friends enjoyed special visits to many private collections of both traditional and contemporary American folk art in Charlottesville, Richmond, and Williamsburg. They were treated to wonderful catered luncheons at the homes of Kacey Corneal, Barbara Gordon and Steve Cannon, and Anne and Tony Vanderwarker,

Rude attend of Atitutta ESTABLISHED 1973

INVESTMENT and delightful cocktail receptions at the homes of Ann and William Oppenhimer and Ellin and Baron Gordon. In addition to those mentioned above, the Museum would like to express its appreciation to the following people for contributing to the success of the Virginia tour: Judy Burch; Elizabeth Floyrrroy; Helen, Nel, and Fred Laughon; and Linda Hamilton of the Focal Point

QuAliTy 1 911-1 ANd

20Th

CENTURy AMERiCAN ART Gallery in Gloucester, Va. Upcoming Folk Art Explorers' Club programs include a Fall tour to Santa Fe(November 8-13, 1995) and a ten-day tour to France scheduled for next Spring (April 19-30, 1996). For more information, call Beth Bergin or Chris Cappiello at 212/977-7170.

The Folk Art Explorers Club tour group surrounds a John Anderson sculpture in the garden of Ann and William Oppenhimer (center).

by Folk ARTiSTS ANd Folk POTTERS

FEATURiNq iMpORTANT WORk SOUTI-1ERN CONTEMpORARy TRAdiTiONAI SOUThERN

ThE MARiETTA/CObb MUSEUM RESENTS ThE EXhibiTIONS

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IIAMERiCAN NAiVE PAINTiNgS" FROM ThE NATIONAL CALLERy of ART IN CONiUNCTION WiTh "SOUThERN CONTEMPORARY FOI.1( FACES" CURATEd by DEbbIE ChARTER OF KNOkE GALLERIES SEpTEMbER 1 6'NOVEMbER 1 8,1 995 FOR MORE INFORMATION 404-424-8 I 42

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FALL 1995 FOLK ART

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Write or call for your free copy of Folk Art Collecting, a newsletter devoted to new and emerging contemporary folk artists in America. Each issue features 8 to 12 artists whom we feel are destined for greater acclaim.

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70 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

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NOVEMBER 11 & 12, 1995 ADMISSION $6.00 - with CARD/AD $5.00

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN TOR ART & SITHAU6111 ART Mike Smith•At Home Gallery•2304 Sherwood Street Greensboro, North Carolina 27403 By Appointment Only

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72 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

featuring

Sarah Rakes by appointment priscilla magers, mba

MANAGED BY MARILYN GOULD •

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Museum Awards Held on June 5 he Museum honored its Folk Art Institute graduates, docent corps, and others at its annual commencement ceremonies and Esther Stevens Brazer Lecture. Maridean Hutton was named the newest Fellow of the Folk Art Institute, having completed the required 36 credits in a concentration of study in the field of American folk art and related disciplines. The Institute's director, Lee Kogan, presented Maridean and spoke of her enthusiasm and scholarly pursuits. Trustee Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq., gave the award. The first Honorary Fellowship awarded in the Institute's tenyear history was conferred on Karen S. Schuster for service to the Museum that spanned almost two decades. Director Gerard Wertkin introduced Karen and shared stories of her many achievements and selfless dedication to the Museum. Her certificate was awarded by George and Myra Shaskan, who worked closely with Karen for many

years on a myriad of Museum projects. As in years past, the Institute's commencement was also the occasion of the Museum's annual Esther Stevens Brazer Lecture, so named in honor of the gifted artist and scholar who inspired the founding of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD). This year's speaker was William N. Hosley, Jr., curator of American decorative arts at the Wadsworth Atheneum. His lecture,"The Japan Craze: Art and Life in Victorian America," which was accompanied by an extensive slide presentation, was enthusiastically received. Several members of HSEAD were present. Pamela Brown, director of the Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery, presented awards to three-year, five-year, and six-year docents. She also gave a special presentation to Kenneth R. Bing, for his five years of service above and beyond his duties as chief security guard.

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MUSEUM

NEWS

Food for Body and Soul n April 19 and 20, the Museum's library assistant, Katya Ullmann, organized a book and bake sale to benefit the Museum's Library Fund. She enthusiastically mustered the staff into baking cakes and cookies and participating in the setup. Because the books were chosen from duplicates on the library shelves or were given to the Museum specifically for the sale, buyers were able to purchase excellent reference works and gift books for a fraction of their retail price. The licensing department donated kaleidoscopes and boxed note paper, adding some whimsy to the event. Browsers fortified themselves with home-baked

O INTERNATIONAL YMPOSIUM & BAZAAR MARCH 6-12,1996 N ANTONIO,TEXAS at the Convention Center

BAZAAR -March 7-10

banana bread and brownies as they perused the selection. Katya was seen throughout the two days smiling broadly as she made change and put up fresh pots of coffee. A joyful sense of community filled the reception area of the Museum's business offices during the sale.

Katya Ullmann

with up to 300 booths all in one location Open to the public/ Wholesale & Retail

BOOTHS ON SALE NOW SYMPOSIUM -March 8-io STONE BEADS: FROM THE HEART OF THE EARTH Symposium Director, Peter Francis,Jr.

WORKSHOPS -March 6-12 DEMONSTRATIONS, BEAD FIESTA, PROFESSIONAL BEAD ORGANIZATIONS & BEAD SOCIETY MEETINGS and MUCH MORE! Produced by the Centerfor Bead Research and Recursos de Santa Fe, a non-profit organization, in cooperation with the San Antonio and Austin Bead Societies. Contributionsfrom the net proceeds benefit bead research and educational organizations. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

'96 826 CAMINO DEL MONTE REY A3, SANTA FE, NM 87505, 800-732-6881 FAX 505-989-8608

RECURSOS DE SANTA FE /BEND EXPO

74 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Today's Woman Expo oston and San Francisco: Country Living magazine and Buick joined forces with the Museum of American Folk Art to promote folk art at Today's Woman Expo, a two-day exhibition and conference held at Boston's World Trade Center on April 22-23 and San Francisco's Moscone Center on June 3-4. The event, sponsored by Hearst Magazines, a division of The Hearst Corporation, addressed women's interests, lifestyles, and concerns and featured seminars and lectures. A portion of the proceeds generated by the event was donated to the American Heart Association for its dedicated fight against heart disease in women.

An exhibition of 50 photographic images highlighting the Museum's collection was on display during the exposition in both cities. The Museum's book and gift shops were also represented. In Boston, Lifetime Television taped a segment of Our Home at the Museum's booth, where rug designer Joyce Bingham was interviewed. The segment was aired many times during the month of May,giving the Museum excellent national exposure.

PICASSO PUPPET, carved wood, oil paint, fabric, 34 x 25" MOULIN ROUGE, carved wood, oil paint, metal, 36 x 46"

VINCENT, carved wood, oil paint, metal, 26 x 36" MONET'S JAPANESE BRIDGE, carved wood, oil paint, metal, 40 x 46"

RECENT WORKS JEF STEINGREBE CENTER RD BRADFORD NH 03221 (603) 938-2748 inquiries invited

FOLKART COLLECTORS!

The Fraktur Art of Barbara Ebersol

MUSEUM

NEWS

An important new bookfor anyone interested info/k art!

ANItill FOLK

Aftlisi

Barbara Ebersol

krakimoantilootli Record Boll,

Beautiful full-color reproductions of decorative Amish folk art, until now seen primarily by family and private collectors • Bookplates • Marriage, Birth & Death Records • Bookmarks •Watercolor Paintings • Needlework

arbara Ebersol's work is admired and Z1sought by museums and collectors. Now the original designs and elegant script of her 19th-century Amish fraktur art are available in this important new book about art at the center ofAmish community.

Hardcover Edition 128 Pages 89 Color Plates

Writefor afree complete listing ofbooks and gift items available.

TO ORDER:Send a check or money order for $32.95.(Make payable to Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. PA residents add 6% sales tax).

Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society 2215 Millstream Road, Dept. M,Lancaster, PA 17602•Phone: 717-393-9745

Japanese Quilt Teachers Visit Museum address and Elizabeth Warren, uilt expert Shelly Zegart

escorted a group of Japanese quilting teachers on a tour of New York City. Their trip included a May 31 viewing of the Museum's exhibition "Victorian Vernacular: The American Show Quilt." The group was led by Mr. Tadanobu Seto, the president of Nihon Vogue Co., Ltd., publishers of Quilts Japan, one of Japan's leading quilt magazines, and Ms. Mieko Miyama, Director of the Japan Knitting and Handicrafts Institution. Museum Director Gerard C. Wertkin gave a welcoming

:>>>>>>>>>>>>)>>)>

JOHN C. HILL ANTIQUE INDIAN ART & AMERICAN FOLK ART 6962 E. FIRST AVE. SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA 85251

(602)946-2910

From left to right: Tadanobu Seto, Elizabeth V. Warren, Shelly Zegart, Gerard C. Wertkin, and Mieko Miyama

ZUNI KACHINA Yamuhakto, c. 1930

76 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

curator of the exhibition, conducted a walk-through tour. Questions and comments were fielded through the tour's interpreter, and exciting ideas on quilt history and techniques were exchanged. Quilts Japan has covered many of the Museum's quilt exhibitions and events for its readers. The Museum staff was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the magazine's representatives and some of Japan's dedicated quiltmakers and teachers.

Ralph Auf Der Heide, Rita Hicks Davis, Mamie Deschillie, Brian Dowdall, Esperanz a Espinoza, 3 0 11 CD

(g-D` Cl)

OaPeDyttekn ttieattoRdToftheutt To JUtt

ince 1980

0 0 SD

`o.iuntAi Tauur

'A Li 1.1 o0 LAI tnisnr

`Jall!lAl

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SJOTSB

9243 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63124 By appt. 314-993-9851, Fax: 314-993-4790 1-800-763-6105; Laurie Carmody, Director

<7;

WE BUY FOLK & OUTSIDER ART CALL 800-523-0450 PRIVATE COLLECTOR SEEKS OUTSTANDING WORKS BY Jesse Aaron J.R. Adkins Eddie Arning Andrea Badami Emile Branchard David Butler Vincent Canady Raymond Coins James Crane Uncle Jack Dey Sam Doyle

William Edmondson Minnie Evans Josephus Farmer J.O.J. Frost Morris Hirshfield J.C. Huntington Gustav Klumpp George Lothrop Annie Lucas Sister Gertrude Morgan Elijah Pierce

Martin Ramirez Nellie Mae Rowe Ellis Ruley Lorenzo Scott Drossos Skyllas Patrick Sullivan Bill Traylor Chief Willey Luster Willis Joseph Yoakum ...and others

JOSH FELDSTEIN • AMERICAN FOLK ART 4001 NEWBERRY ROAD, SUITE E-3• GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA • 32607 • TEL 904-375-6 161

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 77

NEW ENGLAND'S ULTIMATE FOLK ART SHOW & SALE! *********************** Named one of the top 25 Craft Shows in the country by Early American Life Magazine *********************** Exceptional artisans featured in EARLY AMERICAN LIFE'S Traditional American Crafts irectory, will be offering for sale useum quality reproductions of American country & formal furniture & accessories, contemporary folk art & country crafts.

ROYAL PLAZA TRADE CENTER -495 & Rte. 20, Marlborough, Mass. FRI., OCT. 27,6PM-10PM $6.00 AT., OCT. 28, 10AM-6PM $5.00 UN., OCT. 29, 11AM-5PM $5.00

hemlock hollow 9olk Art and botanical gardens Totems, canes and Appalachian stone & woodcarvings by some of Kentucky's best. Gallery and Bed & Breakfast by Appointment. P.O. 125, RR7-32 Sandy Hook, Ky 41171

(606) 738-6285 prop. Brent Conley

LEONCAVALLO SOLDIERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE CIVIL WAR 27 inches high

I SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE Renowned American folk artist, Will Moses... of Grandma Moses andson !reat-gr

untry Folk Art Festival Judy Marks PO Box 134 Glen Ellyn, IL. 60138 (708)858-1568 FOR TRAVEL & LODGING ONLY: 1-(800) 653-2222 AND MENTION THE COUNTRY FOLK ART FESTIVAL

78 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

STUDIO: 6 Hilltop Road, Mendham, NJ 07945 201-543-2164 908-852-8128

MUSEUM

NEWS

MAHVASH Former Staff Member and Museum Friend Wins Fulbright acqueline Marx Atkins, a 1991 graduate of the Museum's Folk Art Institute and a former editor of this publication, has received a Fulbright Scholar Award for research in Japan for the 1995-1996 academic year. Her research project includes an examination and comparison of the historical, social, and cultural role of quilting in Japan and the United States. Quilt groups will be a special focus of her study, with an emphasis on quilting as a means of exchange, interaction, and support among women. Ms. Atkins, a lecturer in the Institute and an associate professor at New York University, is the author of Shared Threads: Quilting Together Past and Present(1994)

and the upcoming Folk Art in American Life. Atkins also co-authored New York Beauties: Quiltsfrom the Empire State(1992)and wrote the exhibition catalogs Memories of Childhood: Award Winning Quilts Createdfor the Great American Quilt Festival 2(1989) and Discover America and Friends Sharing America: Award Winning Quilts Createdfor the Great American Quilt Festival 3 (1991).

Memorial Service Held for Carousel Expert Frederick Fried memorial service was held for widely recognized folk art scholar Frederick Fried(1908-1994)on June 24,1995, at the Forest Park Carousel in Woodhaven, N.Y. A collector, appraiser, and author, Fried was known for his extensive knowledge of carousels, as well as cigar store Indians and historic amusement parks. Fried was involved in organizing two Museum of American Folk Art exhibitions: he was the guest curator of "The Art of the Carousel," in 1965, and co-curator, with Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., of"Carving for Commerce," in 1970. He and his wife, Mary Hill Fried, co-wrote A Pictorial History ofthe Carousel(1964),

Artists in Wood(1970), and America's Forgotten Folk Arts(1978). They were also both founding members of the National Carousel Association and founders of the Northeast Chapter of that organization. Fried had a special fondness for the carousel at Forest Park, as it was purchased under his guidance in 1973 to replace the original Dentzel machine, which burned in 1966. The present carousel is one of only 12 produced by the D.C. Muller & Brother Company of Philadelphia.

I AM NOT THE WOMAN I USED TO BE Oil on Canvas 26" x 32"

Living in a miniature doll house, I play house as I paint my own sweet reality of a woman, a man, and two cats... I am only a traveler passing through.

MAHVASH STUDIO 68 Canyon Ridge â&#x20AC;˘ Irvine, CA 92715 Telephone (714)854-0747 Call or write for Studio Appointment or Artist Catalog

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 79

FALL

PROGRAMS

SYMPOSIUM

GALLERY EVENTS

The Museum presents the following symposium

ree programs will be held at the Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th streets, New York, New York.

on Saturday, September 23, in conjunction with the exhibition "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition." The symposium will be held at the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, 2 Columbus Circle, at Broadway and 59th Street, New York, New York. Admission Museum Members $20, Non-Members $25

Saturday,September 23 9:30 A.M.-3:30 P.M. Introduction Lee Kogan Director, Folk Art Institute Thoughts on Folk Art and Ethnic Identity Gerard C. Wertkin Director, Museum of American Folk Art Norwegian Folk Art: Continuity and Change Dr. Marion Nelson Guest Curator and Keynote Speaker Preserving Norwegian Folk Culture by the Norwegian Folk Museum Erik Rudeng Director, Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo, Norway

Collecting and Preserving Norwegian Folk Art Tonte Hegard Assistant Curator, Sogn Folkemuseum, Kaupanger, Norway Preserving Norwegian Culture in the United States: The Story of Vesterheim, the NorwegianAmerican Museum Darrell D. Henning Director, Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah,Iowa Norwegian Folk Altars Kristin Anderson Assistant Professor, Art Department, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota Use of Traditional Norwegian Dress in America Carol Colburn Associate Professor of Theater, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Norwegian Wood Carver Bjarte Aarseth, Norway Saturday and Sunday,Tuesday through Friday September 23-24,26-29 Saturday, 3:30-5:30 P.M. All other days, 12:00-4:00 P.M. Mini lecture/demonstration Sunday,2:00 P.M. Weekdays, 12:00 P.M. DEMONSTRATIONS

Saturday,September 23 3:30-5:30 P.M. Sunday,September 24 12:00-4:00 P.M. NORWEGIAN REGIONAL PAINTING STYLES Nils Ellingsgard, Norway Sunday mini lecture/ demonstration 12:00 P.M.

Saturday,September 30 12:00-4:00 P.M. WOODCARVING Kenneth Arntzen Mini lecture 12:00 P.M. NORWEGIAN ROSEMALING Eldrid Skjold Arntzen Mini lecture 2:00 P.M. EVENING LECTURE

Tuesday, October 17 6:15 P.M. Norwegian-American Handcrafts Maridean Hutton CONCERTS

Saturday, October 21 2:00-2:45 P.M. Norwegian Folk Music Loretta Kelly, Hardanger Fiddler Saturday, November 11 2:00-2:45 P.M. Norwegian Folk Music Annbjorg Lien, Hardanger Fiddler Kirsten Braten Berg, Singer

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP

workshop will be held at the Museum of American Folk Art's Administrative Offices at 61 West 62nd Street, New York, New York, 3rd Floor.

Friday, November 10 10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. ROSEMALING Instructor: Doris Jensen Course Fee: $65 Materials Fee: $20 (The materials fee is to be paid directly to the instructor on the day of the class.)

Learn the basics of traditional Norwegian Rosemaling with step-by-step instruction in the different styles, the use of basic strokes, techniques, mixing, blending, and shading of oil pigments. Practice scrolls, flowers, and leaf details to create an exuberant design on a prepared board or object of your choice.

For more information about the symposium and other adult programs or to make reservations, please call Lee Kogan at the Museum's Folk Art Institute, 212/977-7170.

80 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS

programs will be held at the Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th streets, New York, New York. pecial free

SATURDAY STORYTELLING I:00 P.M.

Intended for children ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Reservations are suggested. October 28, November 4, 18, and 25, December 2 and 9 Norwegian storytelling with RolfStang SUNDAY WORKSHOPS

October 15 (Family Day—open to all ages) Come make a Norwegian troll after the "Troll Stroll" in Central Park. October 22 and 29 MAGIC MARIONETTES— Viking paper dragons and other medieval monsters on strings. (No fire-breathing please!)

October 1 COLLAGE—Welcome to Fall Collage. Make a collage with strange materials to get your mind and fingers going. October 8 MAGIC MARIONETTES— Everyone needs a Norwegian troll to help them out in life. Learn to pull the strings to bring good luck.

REGISTRATION SYMPOSIUM

2:00-4:00 P.M.

Ages 5 through 12, except on family days, October 15 and December 3, when everyone is invited to participate. Preregistration is necessary.

ALE BOWL OF MENGE TYPE WITH DRAGON AND SERPENT HEAD HANDLES; carver unknown; possibly painted by Thomas Luraas; Hardanger, Norway; dated 1845; carved and painted 4" / 3 4 113 3 4 16/ birch; 10/ deep. Collection of Little Norway, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin.

November 5,12, and 19 PLATE DECORATING—Norwegian rose painting uses leaves and flowers as you will see in our Museum tour, but if you are not the flower type, decorate your plate with what you think is interesting. What is crayon resist? Come and see. December 3(Family Day—open to all ages)and December 10 LIGHT-CATCHERS—Make Scandinavian light-catchers and other dangles to hang on trees, in windows, or wherever you like.

For more information about children's programs and reservations, please call Pamela Brown at 212/595-9533.

C ducational programming for "Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition" has been made possible, in part, by The AmericanScandinavian Foundation.

Saturday, September 23 0 Members $20 0Non-members $25 ROSEMALING WORKSHOP

Friday, November 10 0$65 per person Total

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY/STATE/ ZIP

TELEPHONE

0Check or money order enclosed for Make checks payable to Museum of American Folk Art OR 0Charge my Visa/Mastercard/American Express

NO.

Free public programming is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and a generous grant from NYNEX.

EXPIRATION DATE

SIGNATURE

Mail to: Museum of American Folk Art Programs,61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023

FALL 1995 FOLK ART $I

MUSEUM

TRUSTEES/DONORS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Ralph 0. Esmerian President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Executive Vice President and Chairman, Executive Committee Lucy C. Danziger Executive Vice President Bonnie Strauss Vice President Joan M.Johnson Vice President Peter M. Ciccone Treasurer George F. Shaskan, Jr., Secretary

MAJOR

DONORS

MAJOR

THE

LINCOLN

SQUARE

Walter and Josephine Ford Fund Jacqueline Fowler Selma & Sam Goldwitz Irene & Bob Goodkind Mr.& Mrs. Baron J. Gordon Doris Stack Green Cordelia Hamilton Taiji Harada William Randolph Hearst Foundation Terry & Simca Heled Alice & Ronald Hoffman Mr.& Mrs. David S. Howe Mr.& Mrs. Albert L. Hunecke, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Yee Roy Jear Kristina Barbara Johnson, Esq. Joan & Victor L. Johnson Isobel & Harvey Kahn Louise & George Kaminow Shirley & Theodore L. Kesselman Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein Kodansha, Ltd. Lee & Ed Kogan Wendy & Mel Lavitt James & Frances Lieu Howard & Jean Lipman Foundation Robert & Betty Marcus Foundation, Inc. C.F. Martin IV Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Masco Corporation Mr.& Mrs. Christopher Mayer

FOLK

ART

Honorary Trustee Eva Feld Trustees Emeriti Cordelia Hamilton Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. Margery G. Kahn Jean Lipman

ENDOWMENT

FUND

Marjorie W.McConnell Michael & Marilyn Mennello Benson Motechin Johleen Nester, John Nester II & Jeffrey Nester Kathleen S. Nester NYNEX Corporation Paul Oppenheimer Dorothy & Leo Rabkin Cathy Rasmussen Ann-Marie Reilly Willa & Joseph Rosenberg Betsey Schaeffer The William P. and Gertrude Schweitzer Foundation,Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Richard Sears Mr.& Mrs. George F. Shaskan, Jr. Louise A. Simone Patricia Lynch Smith & Sanford L. Smith Mr.& Mrs. Richard L. Solar Mr. & Mrs. Austin Super Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum Phyllis & Irving Tepper Two Lincoln Square Associates Anne D. Utescher Elizabeth & Irwin Warren Mrs. Dixon Wecter Gerard C. Wertkin Robert N.& Anne Wright Wilson Mr.& Mrs. John H. Winkler

DONORS

The Museum of American Folk Art greatly appreciates the generous support of the following friends: $100,000 and above Estate of Daniel Cowin Ralph 0. Esmerian Ford Motor Company Estate of Laura Harding The J.M. Kaplan Fund,Inc. Jane & David Walentas Anonymous

AMERICAN

Members Anne Hill Blanchard Edward Lee Cave Joyce Cowin David L. Davies Raymond C. Egan Jacqueline Fowler Susan Gutfreund Kristina Barbara Johnson, Esq. Susan Klein George H. Meyer, Esq. Cyril I. Nelson Cynthia V.A. Schaffner David C. Walentas L. John Wilkerson, Ph.D Robert N. Wilson

American Folk Art Society Amicus Foundation William Arnett Asahi Shimbun Mr. & Mrs. Arthur L. Barrett Ben & Jerry's Homemade,Inc. Estate of Abraham P. Bersohn Dr. Robert Bishop Edward Vermont Blanchard & M. Anne Hill Mr.& Mrs. Edwin C. Braman Marilyn & Milton Brechner Mr.& Mrs. Edward J. Brown Iris Cannel Morris B. and Edith S. Cartin Family Foundation Tracy & Barbara Cate Edward Lee Cave Chinon, Ltd. Estate of Thomas M.Conway David L. Davies Mr. & Mrs. Donald DeWitt Gerald & Marie DiManno The Marion & Ben Duffy Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Einbender Ellin F. Ente Ross & Glady A. Faires Daniel & Jessie Lie Farber Eva Feld Estate of Morris Feld Janey Fire & John Kalymnios Susan & Eugene Flamm

RECENT

$50,000—S99,999 Johnson & Johnson The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund Anonymous $20,000—$49,999 Mr.& Mrs. Leon Black Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Frederick M.Danziger National Endowment for the Arts Restaurant Associates Industries, Inc.

Barbara & Thomas W.Strauss Fund Robert N. & Anne Wright Wilson $10,000-519,999 The Beacon Group Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. Edward Vermont Blanchard & M. Anne Hill Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Peter M.Ciccone Country Living Joyce Cowin David L. Davies 8z Jack Weeden (Continued on page 86)

82 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

YORK TAILGATE ANTIQUES SHOW

Roy Minshew — Georgia Folk Carver —

NOVEMBER 3-4, 1995 same weekend as The Greater York Antiques Show & Sale

HOLIDAY INN • EAST MARKET YORK,PENNSYLVANIA 1-83 to Exit 8(Route 462) one mile east

OVER 100 SELECT DEALERS FEATURING EARLY AMERICAN ANTIQUES AND FOLK ART Early Buyers Preview $20 Friday, November 3,7:30-11:30 am General Admission $6 • with this ad $5 Friday, November 3, 11:30 am-8:00 pm Saturday, November 4,9 am -6 pm b4rTIME,Inc.• Barry M.Cohen, Manager PO. Box 9095 • Alexandria, Virginia 22304 703/914-1268

Timpson Creek Gallery Route 2, Box 2117, Clayton, GA 30525 706-782-5164

76 Weaver Road Cedartown, Georgia 30125 (770) 748-7035

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 83

EPSTEIN/POWELL Jesse Aaron David Butler Rex Clawson Donavan Durham Mr. Eddy Roy Ferdinand Victor Joseph Gatto (estate) Lonnie Holley Clementine Hunter Howard Ivester S.L. Jones Lawrence Lebduska Charlie Lucas Justin McCarthy Emma Lee Moss Old Ironsides Pry Popeye Reed Max Romain Jack Savitsky Clarence Stringfield Mose Tolliver Floretta Warfel Chief Willey George Williams Luster Willis ...and others

EPSTEIN/POWELL 22 Wooster St., New York, N.Y. 10013 By Appointment(212)226-7316

84 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

MUSEUM

NEWS

Traveling Exhibitions Mark your calendars for the following Museum of American Folk Art exhibitions when they travel to your area during the coming months: August 18—November 5, 1995 Amish Quilts from the Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art Museum of Arts and Sciences Macon, Georgia 912/477-3233

January 19—April 7, 1996 Signs and Symbols: African Images in African-American Quilts from the Rural South Bayly Art Museum of the University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia 804/924-6321

Taking Our Shows on the Road—The Museum presented a selection of traveling exhibitions at the annual conference of the American Association of Museums held in Philadelphia. The Museum's Traveling Exhibition Program presently includes fifteen thematic exhibitions that feature works from its permanent collection, as well as exhibitions organized by the Museum from outside collections. The Museum's Traveling Exhibitions Newsletter was presented at the conference and is available upon request. For further information, contact Judith Gluck Steinberg, Coordinator of Traveling Exhibitions, Museum of American Folk Art, Administrative Offices, 61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023, 212/977-7170.

An Open Letter From Jerry Grossman wish to thank Gerard Werticin, the staff of the Museum of American Folk Art, and the many friends and associates who honored my late wife, Lillian Grossman, at the dedication ceremony of the portrait of Mary Beth Steward by John Blunt, which I was pleased to give to the Museum in my wife's memory. There was nothing that was more important to Lillian than the love of her work at the Museum. She would have happily helped anyone seeking information on any phase of folk art. I understood her selfless devotion and was pleased to support her feelings. I wish that Lillian could

have been aware of the profound effect she had on so many people. I can only begin to express my deep feelings of gratitude for the numerous letters of support I received during my ordeal and for the many contributions made to the Museum in Lillian's memory. On behalf of my daughters Martha and Madeline and myself, I'd like to extend my deep feelings of thanks to you all. —Most gratefully, Jerry Grossman

NAN & DAVID PIRNACK american folk art outsider art architectural unique decorative arts Chicago Antique Show & Sale / Nordell Elmhurst / Odeum September 23-24

Tailgate Antiques Show / Jenkins Nashville / Fiddlers Inn October 10-14

Crutcher Antiques Show / Jenkins Indianapolis / Fairgrounds November 10-12

Michigan Antique Show & Sale / Nordell Rochester Hills / Oakland University November 18-19

shows Se by appointment boulder, colorado 303-444-8222

"Black Hawk and Rider," sheet metal vane, 19th century New England. Ex. collection Robert Ilallock.

JACK SAVITT GALLERY 18062

2015 Route 100 • Macungie,PA

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Jack Savitt Represents His Father

JACK SAVITSKY 20th Century American Folk Artist • Oils • Acrylics • Drawings For Appointment Call

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'Crazy or

milts?

then you need the source for what's new in today's quilts...

jjAT/QcULCT

Magazine A new magazine devoted to the art quilt. the quilts, the artists, the shows, the symposia, the issues, the reviews...the Art of the Quilt. Special rate for Folk Art readers: 1 year(4 quarterly issues)for $28. Sample copy $7. Name Address City/State Zip Phone # To subscribe, send check for $28 (plus $10 for overseas postage) to: (MC/V accepted) ART/QUILT Magazine Folk Art Offer 9543 Meadowbriar Houston,TX 77063-3812

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 85

RECENT

MAJOR

DONORS

(Continuedfrom page 82) Dietrich American Foundation & H. Richard Dietrich William B. Dietrich & William B. Dietrich Foundation Mr.& Mrs. Raymond C. Egan Jacqueline Fowler Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson Joan & Victor L. Johnson Mr.& Mrs. Robert E. Klein Howard & Jean Lipman Foundation Vincent Mai & AEA Investors Inc. Merrill Lynch George H. Meyer, Esq. NYNEX Corporation Schlumberger Foundation Inc. Mr.& Mrs. George F. Shaskan, Jr. 84,000—$9,999 The American-Scandinavian Foundation The Blackstone Group Joan Bull Clarissa & H. Steve Burnett John R.& Dorothy D. Caples Fund Edward Lee Cave Mr.& Mrs. Joseph Cullman III Debevoise & Plimpton Department of Cultural Affairs, City of New York Ernst & Young LLP The FINOVA Group Inc. Georgia-Pacific Corporation Goldman, Sachs,& Co. Hill and Knowlton,Inc. Ellen E. Howe MBNA America, N.A. Mr.& Mrs. Christopher Mayer Constance Milstein Morgan Stanley Foundation New York State Council on the Arts Olympia & York Companies(U.S.A.) Philip Morris Companies Inc. Dorothy & Leo Rabkin Mr.& Mrs. Frank Richardson Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons, Inc. Herbert and Nell Singer Philanthropic Fund Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher,& Flom Sotheby's Time Warner Inc. US Trust Company of New York $2,000—$3,999 Mr.& Mrs. James A. Block Burson-Marsteller Capital Cities/ABC Lily Cates Steven D. Cochran Mr.& Mrs. Edgar M.Cullman Mr.& Mrs. Richard Danziger Mr.& Mrs. Alvin Deutsch Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Susan & John Gutfreund Ellen Howe Ellen & Arthur Liman Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Robert Meltzer Gael & Michael Mendelsohn Project Find Paige Rense The Rockefeller Group William D. Rondina

Se FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Peter J. Solomon Alan Sullivan, Canadian Consulate General Washington Heights Mental Health Council Inc. Dr. & Mrs. L. John Wilkerson Anonymous S1,00041,999 Mr.& Mrs. Michael G. Allen Mr. R. Randolph Apgar & Mr. Allen Black Tamiko Arata Mr. and Mrs. David Barrett Mr.& Mrs. Thomas Block Tina & Jeffrey Bolton Dr. & Mrs. Robert E. Booth, Jr. Marilyn & Milton Brechner Lois P. Broder William F. Brooks, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Edward J. Brown Mr.& Mrs. Thatcher M. Brown Christie's Liz Claiborne Foundation The Coach Dairy Goat Farm Joseph Cohen Drs. Stephen & Helen Colen Conde Nast Publications Inc. Consolidated Edison Company of New York The Cowles Charitable Trust Susan R. Cullman Mr.& Mrs. David Dangoor Allan & Kendra Daniel Aaron Daniels Gary Davenport Mr. & Mrs. Charles Diker The Echo Design Group Inc. Margot & John Ernst Helaine & Burton M Fendelman Mrs. Walter B. Ford, II Evelyn W.Frank in honor of Myra & George F. Shaskan, Jr. Robert M.Frank Jay Furman Howard Gilman Foundation Dr. Kurt Gitter Mr.& Mrs. Eric J. Gleacher Mr.& Mrs. Robert Goldman Pamela J. Hoiles Fern & Robert J. Hurst Mr. Richard Jenrette ICristina Barbara Johnson, Esq. Mr. & Mrs. Alistair Johnston Allan Katz Mr.& Mrs. Michael Kellen Mr.& Mrs. Steven Kellogg Susan & Jerry Lauren Mark Leavitt Fred Leighton Mr.& Mrs. John Levin Barbara S. Levinson Nadine 8z Peter Levy Dan Lufkin R.H. Macy & Company,Inc. Mrs. Myron Mayer McGraw-Hill Foundation, Inc. Virginia C. Murphy Mr.& Mrs. Jeffrey Peek Random House Inc. Ricco/Maresca Gallery Mr.& Mrs. Daniel Rose Mr.& Mrs. Jon W. Rotenstreich

Mr.& Mrs. Robert T. Schaffner Mr.& Mrs. Michael Schulhof Cipora & Philip Schwartz H. Marshall Schwarz Jean S. & Frederic A. Sharf Patricia Lynch Smith & Sanford L. Smith Mr.& Mrs. David Stein Mr.& Mrs. Robert C. Stempel Sterling Winthrop Lynn Steuer Mr.& Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum David Teiger Tiffany & Company Peter & Lynn Tishman Mr.& Mrs. Raymond S. Troubh Elizabeth & Irwin Warren Wertheim Schroder & Co. Inc. Susan Yecies Anonymous $500—$999 Alconda-Owsley Foundation Nancy Allen Amy Cohen Arkin Louis Bachmann Bettina Bancroft Dorothy Harris Bandier June & Frank Barsalona Mary Benisek Mr.& Mrs. Robert A. Bernhard Mr.& Mrs. Peter Bienstock Mr.& Mrs. Peter Bing Mr.& Mrs. James A. Block Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Block Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Boyle Mr. & Mrs. Edwin C. Braman Gale M. Brudner G.K.S. Bush,Inc. Michael Bzdak Marcia Carsey Marjorie F. Chester Christie, Manson & Woods International, Inc. Harry W.Clark Gerald Cohen & Karen Callen Prudence Colo Mr.& Mrs. Stephen H. Cooper Judy Cowen Mr.& Mrs. Lewis Cullman Cullman & Kravis Carolyn & Robert Denham Charlotte Dinger Mrs. Marjorie Downey Mr.& Mrs. Arnold Dunn Mr.& Mrs. James A. Edmonds,Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Lewis Eisenberg Sharon & Theodore Eisenstat Mr.& Mrs. Frederick Elgiianayan Mr.& Mrs. Anthony B. Evnin Mr.& Mrs. Robert H. Falk Mr. & Mrs. Howard P. Fertig Mimi & Richard Fischbein Daniel Gantt Mr.& Mrs. Bruce Geismar Mr.& Mrs. William Gladstone Mr.& Mrs. Baron J. Gordon Marilyn A. Green Dr. & Mrs. Stanley Greenberg Grey Advertising Nancy & Michael Grogan

RECENT

MAJOR

Bonnie Grossman Cordelia Hamilton John Hays Mr.& Mrs. George B. Henry Mr.& Mrs. Richard Herbst Anne & John A. Herrmann Barbara & Tom Hess Mr.& Mrs. Walter W. Hess, Jr. Stephen Hill Mr.& Mrs. Leonard Hochman IBM Imperial Wallcoverings, Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Thomas C. Israel Dr. & Mrs. Josef Jelinek Guy Johnson Jaclyn & Gerald P. Kaminsky Cathy M. Kaplan Leigh Keno Dr. & Mrs. Arthur B. Kern Mr.& Mrs. Jerome H. Kern Mary Kettaneh Mr.& Mrs. Jonathan King Dynda & John Kirby Barbara Klinger Mr.& Mrs. Ted Kosloff Barbara & David Krashes Robert Landau The Lane Company,Inc.

DONORS

Mr.& Mrs. Leonard A. Lauder Wendy & Mel Lavitt Naomi Leff Mr.& Mrs. Roger Levin Mr. & Mrs. John Libby James & Frances Lieu Patrick M.8c Gloria M. Lonergan Mr.& Mrs. James Maher Chris Martin Michael T. Martin Jim McDonough Grete Meilman Ms. A. Forsythe Merrick Steve Miller Brook Garber Neidich Cyril I. Nelson David Nichols Paul L. Oppenheimer Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Palley Dr. Burton W.Pearl Gregory Pelner Anthony Petullo Dale Precoda Richard Ravitch Irene Reichert Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Riordan Mr.& Mrs. Derald H. Ruttenberg Mary Frances Saunders

Mr.& Mrs. Oscar Schafer Mr.& Mrs. Paul Schindler David Schorsch Sandra Doane Sherman Randy Siegel Francisco F. Sierra Susan & Joel Simon Slater Hanft Martin Inc. Ellen Sosnow William W.Stahl, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Myles Tanenbaum Mr. 84 Mrs. Jeff Tarr Mr.& Mrs. Richard T. Taylor Susan Unterberg Anne D. Utescher Mr.& Mrs. Michael Varet Sue & George Viener Clune J. Walsh, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Bennett Weinstock Herbert Wells Mr.& Mrs. Frank P. Wendt Anne Wesson G. Marc Whitehead Victoria Wilson Mr. & Mrs. William Ziff Howard Zipser Jon & Rebecca Zoler Mr.& Mrs. Donald Zuckert

POKTA ROCKS!

CATFISH: Three years, an ash log and two chainsaws later, POKTA created a 6'8" rocking catfish. It has reverse painted glass paperweight eyes, fan belt whiskers, heavy leather fins, limestone teeth and real rubber boots, sizes 12 & 13. $9,500.00.

WATERMELON: Big wood arm rocker with umbrella & reading light. $3,500.00. STACKED LADIES: 41/' 2 tall, made of 5 wood cubes, four ladies front each stack, can be arranged like a cube puzzle into a bunch of combinations. $950.00 choice. Color photos/info on POKTA Art: Dave Kessler, Old Kessler Farm Antiques, 10950 State Route 121 North, New Paris, Ohio 45347. Phone 513-437-7071. Fax 513-437-0263. Thanks!

FALL 1995 FOLK ART 87

1111111111 Fine New York Gouge Carved Pine Mantle Circa 1800-1810 FP91-11 the Collection ofover 100 Fine Period American Mantles

FRANCIS J. PURCELL II 88 North Main Street, New Hope,Pa. 18938 Usually Open â&#x20AC;˘ Appointment Best Telephone:(215)862-9100

INDEX

ADVERTISERS

18, 19 America Hurrah America, Oh Yes! 70 American Antiques, Inc. 7 American Jazz 28 American Primitive Gallery 24 The Ames Gallery 14 Marna Anderson 30 Morgan Anderson Americana 8 70 The Art Cellar/Art America Art/Quilt Magazine 85 68 Artisans 72 At Home Gallery Kathryn Berenson 28 Robert Cargo Folk Art Gallery 15 16 Christie's 66 Dan & Marlene Coble Sandra Jean Coldren 66 78 Country Folk Art Festival Country Living Inside Back Cover Epstein/Powell 63, 84 77 Josh Feldstein Fine Folk Art 72 Laura Fisher 25 Galerie Bonheur 77 70 Gallery Americana 26 Sidney Gecker Back Cover Giampietro

88 FALL 1995 FOLK ART

Gilley's Gallery 33 30 James Grievo 73 Grove Decoys 32 Anton Haardt Gallery Hemlock Hollow 78 Carol L. Heppe 67 John C. Hill 76 Hill Gallery Inside Front Cover 2 K.S. Art Allan Katz Americana 23 Knoke Galleries 69 June Lambert 13 Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society 76 Leoncavallo 78 Mahvash Studio 79 Main Street Antiques and Art 63 Sam McDowell 68 Steve Miller 1 The Modern Primitive Gallery 14 39 Joy Moos Gallery Morning Star Gallery 25 Old Kessler Farm Antiques 87 Olde Hope Antiques, Inc. 26 Barbara Olsen 66 Nan & David Pirnack 85 J.E. Porcelli 35 Bush Prisby 66

Francis J. Purcell II 88 74 Recursos de Santa Fe/Bead Expo '96 3 Ricco/Maresca Gallery Rosehips Gallery 32 Stella Rubin 22 Jack Savitt Gallery 85 21 John Sideli Sanford L. Smith & Associates, Ltd. 31 27 Smith Gallery 9 Sotheby's Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society 37 Jef Steingrebe 75 The Tarn Gallery 12 Tillou Fine Arts 29 Timpson Creek Gallery 83 Virginia Craft & Folk Art Festivals 66,67 Walters-Benisek 20 Wanda's Quilts 71 Nancy Weaver 83 Marcia Weber/Art Objects, Inc. 33 David Wheatcroft 10 Whirligigs & Americana 67 Wilton Historical Society 72 Thos. K. Woodard 4 York Tailgate Antiques Show/ b4rTIME,Inc. 83 Ginger Young Gallery 8

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Source for Folk Art and See us at the Fall Antiques Show at the Armory

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The COBER COLLECTION of American Folk Art September 28 through October 31 Catalog $18

Calliope Figure Carved and painted wood, fabric and leather, American circa 1900, H. 48"

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