The Education Department’s Blog
The Education Department’s Blog
Tracing History: My Family Tree
The American Folk Art Museum hosts many art objects that treat the important theme of family history. Individuals have used many different mediums to trace their families’ genealogies throughout history: in 18th century America, no printed standard existed for tracing genealogies. In the lesson plan,
Quilting Social Commentary
Exploring Personal Narratives: Home Leave
Personal narrative is one of the strongest themes that we find throughout the history of folk art. In looking at paintings like Memories of the Veteran by Nick Quijano Torres, the viewer can more closely understand periods of history and the personal perspectives that colo
Freedom's Handmaiden: Nationalism in Early Domestic America
Highlighted in the American Folk Art Museum’s collection this week is Lucina Hudson’s skillful piece Liberty Needlework.
Earthly Transformations
Bessie Harvey is an artist who creates mixed-media sculptures from found pieces of wood.
Bustle and Hustle: Working-Class New York
Located in New York City, the American Folk Art Museum is particularly aware of the social consciousness that appears in the work of many self-taught artists. Much of the art of Ralph Fasanella, one of New York City’s great working-class and self-taught artists, is included in the Museum's permanent collection.
History Through the Eyes
In the American Folk Art Museum’s lesson plan History through the Eyes of Individuals, the museum’s
Education department invites teachers and students to approach folk art as a way of exploring the
cultural context from which each work comes. Ross the Undertaker, currently on display in the
Character Creations: The Human Form in American Folk Art
The human form is one of the most enduring subjects to appear in the widely varied genre of folk art. Often, human figures in folk art are the foundations for a narrative.
Responses and Reactions: The Hewson-Center Quilt
The Hewson-Center Quilt currently on display in Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum was created during the Revolutionary War period using the printing methods learned by John Hewson. Hewson challenged the British ban on the importation of printing equipment and technology by opening a textile-printing business in Philadelphia. Today, Hewson is best known for block-printed squares featuring an elaborate vase surrounded by other motifs.
An Inside Look: Weathervanes
Weathervanes are a form of folk art that could serve both functional and decorative purposes. Intended to indicate the direction of the wind and determine weather conditions, weathervanes could also be used as trade signs, drawing in patrons by indicating the business in the building below. A butcher shop might have a weathervane with a cow, while a church might have a weathervane with a Christian symbol. One could possibly navigate a town by following the visual imagery represented on different weathervanes.