American
Folk Art for Kids
 Posted
May-28-2005
Richard
Panchyk's American
Folk Art for Kids
By Chris Dunmire
Last year I reviewed an art / activity book by Richard Panchyk
titled American Folk Art for Kids (Chicago Review
Press, 2004). In my review I mused, "Don't
be mislead by the book's title — creative adults will
enjoy this book too."
As an art and creativity enthusiast, I found this book engaging — not
only for its educational value — but because it included
applicative activities that complimented each chapter. For
example, chapter two (Folk Painting and Drawing) featured a
Reverse Painting on Glass, Calligraphy Bird, and a Spencerian
Letter activity designed to further educate and deepen the
appreciation for the folk art forms discussed in the chapter.
The entire book is really a treasure trove of historical folk
art information and a visual feast of art samples spanning
the last 100 years.
The Origins of Art and Folk Art
So what exactly is Folk Art? In his introduction to American
Folk Art for Kids, Panchyk sets the stage:
Folk art is all about taking something ordinary and making
it extraordinary. The old man uses some wood and his imagination
to make colorful toys. The woman recycles his garbage to make
more artworks.
"Folk" is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
as "relating to, or originating among the common people." And
for this discussion, we’ll use this definition of art: "1
: a skill acquired by experience or study”,
and “4 : the use of skill and imagination in the production
of things of beauty."
Panchyk gives us a primer in art history in chapter one:
When the first art was made, there were no museums,
no art schools, and no art supply stores. Our early ancestors
created small gray stone sculptures using only basic tools.
As time
passed, art became more colorful and sophisticated. Ice
Age people, ... decorated the walls of their cave homes.
Using
natural pigments found in berries and stones to "paint" their
designs, they created paintings of deer and horses, and
they sometimes left behind human handprints. (2)
He goes on to discuss the discovery of clay (8,000 to 6,000
B.C.) and the utilitarian use of it for pots, bowls, and storage
items as being one of the first forms of art. The invention
of pottery and textiles lent itself to the use of decoration
and geometric designs, which grew in popularity as "agriculture
thrived and tiny villages grew into bustling towns."
Folk art emerged as the number of artists and craftspeople
grew. "By the 13th and 14th centuries, many had begun
to form guilds (groups that set rules and quality guidelines
for particular crafts)." The most experienced artists
became known as masters, and their students were called apprentices.
Those who weren't trained as artists but still painted and
decorated as amateurs became the first folk artists. And by
right, according to Panchyk, "The first true American
folk art was created by Native Americans."
Folk Painting and Drawing
The first folk art mediums Panchyk mentions in American
Folk Art for Kids (chapter two) are painting and drawing.
Remembering that folk artists are those who have little or
no formal artistic
training, it's interesting to note the different names and
classifications most folk painting falls into. From pages 12-13:
Outsider Art: Any art
that is made outside the regular process that academic
artists follow, such as attending
art school, showing their work at galleries, and having contact
with many other artists.
Self-taught Artist: Anyone who
creates art but who has not had formal training.
Visionary Art: Art that is created
from a dream or vision that the artist has had.
Primitive Art: Unrefined or naive
art that has childlike qualities.
Art Brut (or "raw art"): "Art
that is made mostly by outsiders.
It's not surprising that many folk artists are quite talented — to
the extent that having 'academic artistic training' doesn't
even matter. Some folk artists go on to become quite famous.
Two well-known folk artists mentioned in chapter two were
Grandma Moses and Howard Finster.
The Decorative Arts
The world is full of ordinary and practical objects.
A folk artist takes these plain objects and makes them
beautiful
by decorating them with designs that celebrate in vivid colors
and patterns and the many symbols, shapes, and natural
wonders
from around the world. (36)
Panchyk takes us through the vast world of decorative
arts in chapter three. Included are Fraktur (colorful decorations
and letters that accompany text), Painted Furniture, Rewards
of Merit (certificates), the Hex Sign, Stencils, Theorem Painting,
Stoneware and Other Pottery, and Toleware.
Decorative arts continue to be popular today. Although computers
have taken a strong hold in graphic design, traditional hand-lettered
designs and calligraphy are highly esteemed and valued. Decorative
painting and stenciling on walls and on furniture are also
popular, as a trip to your favorite craft store displays endless
creative approaches and opportunities.
I found the history about the Hex Sign in this chapter informative.
It brought light to its connection with witches, and the connotation
behind 'putting a hex' on someone. The use of the hex sign
by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the mid-1800s on their barns and
later in advertisements undoubtedly made superstition run rampant.
There seems to be a disagreement among experts though; some
believe the hex signs were used to ward off evil spirits and
witches, while and others think they were made just for decoration.
Some think the word hex is rooted in the German word hexe,
meaning witch. Panchyk notes that the symbols commonly used
in hex signs (stars and rosettes) "have been used by people
for thousands of years and have religious significance." His
conclusions: "The hex signs were probably made for a combination
of both reasons — beauty and superstition."
Fabric Sewn and Stitched
Every fabric stitched in weaving, basket weaving, knitting
and crocheting, folk costumes, lace, embroidery and needlepoint,
hooked rugs, samplers, and quilts is 'sown' into the folk art
tapestry.
Chapter four of Panchyk's book highlights the history textile
art, with a primer on historical 'Plant to Basket' fiber picking
to manufacturing methods today.
On the topic of rug hooking — I had the privilege of
corresponding with the amazing rug hooking artist Deanne Fitzpatrick.
Deanne's beautiful fiber art rugs are in the permanent collections
of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Art Bank, and the Art Gallery
of Newfoundland and Labrador. She's one folk artist future
generations will be reading about in their art history books,
I'm sure.
Chiseled, Carved, and Hammered
In chapter five Panchyk introduces us to "Wood and other
raw material that is carved, poked, chipped, etched, burned,
or banged until it becomes a work of art."
The essence of folk art is taking an ordinary object
and having the creativity and vision to transform it into
a charming
piece
of art. (68)
Carved furniture, inlaid wood, canes and walking sticks, decoys,
tramp art, whittling, carving, and cutting are all examples
of this category of folk art. And so are models and miniatures,
pyrography (woodburning), scrimshaw, weather vanes and whirligigs,
games and toys, and Shaker arts and crafts.
Utilitarian crafting is promoted throughout this chapter — many
of these folk art items aren't made to just sit on a shelf.
No, these crafts are made to be used, played with, and enjoyed.
I'm reminded of a recent visit to the Cracker Barrel, a country
restaurant and store chain featuring all sorts of handmade
folk art items like those mentioned above. In fact, before
entering the store, you can't miss the rooster weather vane
balancing on the roof and the front porch full of wooden rocking
chairs hoping to accompany you home. Once inside, nostalgic
items span wall to wall with old time toys, carved knick knacks,
quilts, and other folksy fun.
Found Objects and Scraps
I find folk artists who recycle 'old scraps and discarded
junk' into works of art some of the most creatively imaginative
people. You've seen what they've done: gum wrapper chains,
clothespin chairs, Popsicle stick and bottle cap art — to
name a few. With these artists, found objects are their medium
and Duchamp is their muse.
In chapter six Panchyk highlights some of the creations that
arise from found objects and scraps. What some consider trash,
folk artists consider treasure. On page 91 in particular, the
tin can robot gracing the front cover of American Folk
Art for Kids stands alive and erect — perhaps a creation
born out of a week of side dishes.
And then on page 92, a profile of Mr. Imagination (Gregory
Warmack) reveals the life of man who lives for scrap art and
thrives on "teaching kids how to use their imagination
by showing them that almost any 'trash' object can become an
integral part of a dazzling artwork." Mr. Imagination
was discovered by the art world in 1983 and is known for his
bottle cap art.
One of my favorite activities in this book is found on page
96. The Button Collage Activity encourages the creative use
of at least 100 different sized, shaped, and colored buttons
to create a collage or 3D sculpture on a letter-sized piece
of card stock. Just think: what a perfect opportunity to use
all of those odd buttons you've collected over the years!
Public Folk Art
The final chapter of American Folk Art for Kids, chapter seven,
reveals one more type of folk art that has embedded itself
into our consciousness through subtle and not-so-subtle advertising
use.
The signs, advertisements, and patriotic art that were
common over 100 years ago are now valued by collectors,
and also by
historians, for what they can tell us about our society. (100)
This ‘commercial’ category of folk art includes
product designs, trade cards, signs and color advertising,
cigar-store Indians, building signs, tavern and inn signs,
billboards, murals, frescoes, building decorations, and patriotic
items from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
I remember visiting the Transportation Building at the House
on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and reading the collection
of Burma Shave signs that used to spring up on roadsides to
entertain travelers. Each series of signs told a tongue-in-cheek
tale a few words (and s-miles) at a time.
An example of a Burma Shave sign series went like this:
IF YOU THINK
SHE LIKES
YOUR BRISTLES
WALK BARE-FOOTED
THROUGH SOME THISTLES
BURMA SHAVE
In some touristy places today, billboards still entertain
families on long drives. I noticed this on I-90 on our way
to Wisconsin Dells from Chicago. Billboards for the Wisconsin
Dells Ducks, Tommy Bartlett Show, and other attractions grew
out of an otherwise ordinary midwest farm landscape to arouse
anticipation of what was to come.
You still can see a lot of building decorations from yesteryear
in old downtown districts of many large and small cities. I
remember seeing one last year in downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois.
On the front of an original downtown garage was a stone carving
of a tire with wings. This winged-tire sculpture was such an
extraordinary element that I reminisced how it weathered through
decades of war, free love, new wave, and other events through
time.
The downtown garage, like many other buildings built in the
late 1800s and early 1900s, was trimmed with ornate sculptures
and other decorative flair that we just don't see anymore on
modern architecture. It certainly has its place in time.
Lasting Impressions
American Folk Art for Kids has given me a deeper
appreciation for the whole spectrum of folk artistry — one
that took me beyond the "formal education" of an
art appreciation class. Again I say, don't be mislead by the
book title being
geared towards kids. This book makes a great reference book
for folk art history and an excellent source for folk art projects. •
American
Folk Art for Kids
is available from Amazon.
© 2005 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com.
All rights reserved. |
