February 3 through May 7, 2023
Exploring powerful visual narratives that reflect the unfolding story of America.
Jessie B. Telfair (1913–1986), Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton, with pencil, 74 x 68 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York. Gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.
Featuring over seventy significant works from the American Folk Art Museum’s collection, this exhibition offers insight into the diverse landscape of folk and self-taught art in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present day. Capturing thoughts and experiences, this dynamic artistic production functions as a witness to history, a carrier of cultural heritage, and a reflection of the world at large.
Four primary sections, organized under the titles “Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers,” explore the roles, ideas, and firsthand testimonies of artists of various backgrounds and perspectives. A wide range of forms—from quilts, embroidery, and assemblages to pottery, paintings, and sculpture—reveals aspects of American identity, nationhood, and histories, and celebrates the multiplicity of insights art can offer on these questions. Through the interweaving of historical and contemporary works that speak to the beauty, complexity, and contradiction of this country, American Perspectives affirms that everyone has a story to tell.
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This Exhibition has been organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, with support provided by Art Bridges
Originally curated for installation at the American Folk Art Museum, February 11, 2020 – January 3, 2021, by Stacy C. Hollander, Independent Curator. Tour coordinated by Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art, the American Folk Art Museum.
