Unknown, S.D. Plum Tavern Sign (double-sided), 1813, paint on pine with iron, 51 by 34 by 3 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, gift of Ralph Esmerian. —American Folk Art Museum, by John Bigelow Taylor / Art
Resource, NY, photo
BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presents “American Made: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum,” on view through September 19. The exhibition features more than 115 works of art including quilts, carvings, signs, samplers, weathervanes, whirligigs, and more — handmade by Americans when the nation was young.
“We’re excited for visitors to experience Crystal Bridges’ first-ever folk art exhibition which provides a glimpse into early American life with these extraordinary objects,” says Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Executive Director Rod Bigelow.
Created especially for Crystal Bridges in partnership with the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, the selection of artworks and exhibition concept for “American Made” were provided by Stacy C. Hollander, deputy director, chief curator and director of exhibitions, American Folk Art Museum. Written interpretation, exhibition design and educational programs were developed by Crystal Bridges.
“We are honored that the American Folk Art Museum was invited to collaborate on the first folk art exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,” says Hollander. “We are dedicated to reaching new audiences and having them discover the beauty and power of folk art to testify, inspire, move and inform from a perspective that is unique in American art.”
Artist unidentified, papercut for Benj. S. Farret, 1848, paint and ink on cut and pasted paper, 147⁄8 by 12 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, gift of Cyril Irwin Nelson in loving memory of Jean Lipman. —Gavin Ashworth photo
“American Made” shares the story of early American culture and identity. Societal values, national symbols and personal narratives are stitched together to showcase American creativity and resourcefulness. The artworks in the exhibition demonstrate a high level of skill and help chronicle everyday life of early Americans, as well as themes of patriotism and politics.
The variety in materials, subject matter and scale can be seen throughout. A few examples include a set of 4-inch-tall, delicately crafted paper figurines of horses and soldiers used as children’s toys post-Revolutionary War, a sprawling 6-by-7-foot embroidered silk map quilt of the United States that creates a snapshot of the nation’s geography in the late 1800s and an 1890 weathervane featuring an 8-foot-tall copper figure of the Delaware Indian leader Tammany — possibly the largest surviving American weathervane.
“American Made invites the viewer to look closely and discover the stories behind these works of art,” says Crystal Bridges Curator Mindy Besaw. “Many of the artists’ names in ‘American Made’ will never be known. They did not receive formal art education, but they had tremendous expertise and skill, and this exhibition is a way to honor their important contributions to our own artistic heritage.”
Hannah Carter (dates unknown) , canvas work picture, circa 1748, silk and wool on fine linen, 211⁄16 by 187⁄8 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, gift of Ralph Esmerian. —John Parnell photo
This exhibition reveals the self-taught nature of American artists from the mid-1700s to the early-1900s, and tells the story of how these objects found their way into museums. After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the development of American identity and American art progressed along similar paths. The United States began as a grand experiment in self-governance, in which each citizen became a self-reliant participant. The idea of being “self-taught” became especially important to early American artists, who adopted the term as a point of pride. The self-taught artist expressed independence, self-realization and self-direction as the nation cultivated a new, cohesive American identity.
The artworks in this exhibition were not shown and appreciated in art museums until the 1920s and 1930s. This gradual shift of folk art from everyday life to the walls of museums began with a growing desire to connect with an authentic American past. In the early Twentieth Century, a small but influential group of artists, curators, dealers, collectors and critics started collecting and exhibiting American folk art. Their renewed interest drew attention to art forms that had previously existed primarily as household goods. For the first time, the work of self-taught American artists was integrated into the larger context of the fine arts, and the ordinary objects that once filled lives and homes were recognized as extraordinary.
The Crystal Bridges Museum is at 600 Museum Way. For information, 479-418-5700 or www.crystalbridges.org.
