#folkartfriday

[colorspectrumflux]

#folkartfriday Who’s your favorite folk artist? #anniemaeyoung #herbertsingleton #moset #purvisyoung #joelight #williamedmondson #samdoyle #charlielucas #howardfinster #thorntondial

[collegehillalliance]

It's the first #FolkArtFriday, so we thought we should look at some examples of folk art in Georgia and how we can preserve it. The link above is to an article that discusses efforts to preserve the Folk Art Park in Atlanta. 

Folk art typically involves the creation of works of art without formal training or by people hoping to preserve the traditional culture of a particular ethnic group or that of a particular historical period. 

What does folk art look like?

Typically, folk art is functional. Think quilts, painted pottery, or sculpted household items.

Located at the Courtland Street Bridge over I-75, the Folk Art Park has excellent examples of folk art, especially from Southern artists. Pieces in the park include:

Quilt Tradition, "Sunshade Structure," which includes motifs designed by nine different artists of the South.

Sculpture Garden, which displays nine public folk art pieces by artists from Athens, Atlanta, and Birmingham

Homage to Howard Finster, which includes a mound wall and temple created by Kenneth Allen Wilson of Summerville, GA

Windmills with pieces by James Harold Jennings and Vollis Simpson, both from North Carolina

Rolling Hills of Georgia by Rubin R.A. Miller of Hall County, GA, incorporating works from artists from Mississippi and Kentucky

Homage to St. EOM's Pasaquan by St. EOM, a.k.a Eddie Owens Martin, of Glen Alta, GA

The Gourd Tree by Wayne S. Caudell of Jefferson, GA

We'll leave you with some questions for the weekend:

Is what you make "folk art"?

Where have you seen folk art in Macon or Middle Georgia?

What would folk art for Middle Georgia or specifically your area look like?