Folk art reflects our cultural identity and often serves as a window into a community’s values and aesthetics. Here are five places where you and your family can learn more about this historic art form:
1) American Folk Art Museum, New York, N.Y. This important museum’s collection is called an “unabashed song of praise to the nation,” reflecting the idea that folk art is often patriotic or created to commemorate an important event in history. View traditional and contemporary artistic expressions including drawings, tinsel art, quilts and painting. Families and Folk Art, offered the first Saturday of every month, introduces children 4 to 12 to folk art through conversation and hands-on art activities inspired by objects within the museum. Admission is free.
Contact: folkartmuseum.org
2) The International Quilt Study Center & Museum, Lincoln, Neb. Visitors to this museum have access to the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world, thanks to a local couple who donated their own 1,000-piece quilt collection. The more than 3,500-piece collection represents work found in 30 countries over four centuries, including doll, French, black-American and Amish crib quilts.
Contact: quiltstudy.org
3) The Holiday Folk Fair, Milwaukee. Song, dance, food and crafts dominate this five-day festival that celebrates cultures from around the world. The gathering — held each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving at the Wisconsin Exposition Center — is considered the country’s largest indoor multicultural festival.
