Best Folk Art and Outsider Art Museums USA
Several Amazing Places to Explore Artworks of Self-Taught Artists
Sep 11, 2008
The American Folk Art Museum, New York City, New York
While the building for this museum was completed in 2001 and has been highly acclaimed for its state of the art architecture, the concept of a Folk Art museum in New York started in 1961 by several visionaries who realized the unique value of folk art. The collection of artwork in the American Folk Art museum includes 18th and 19th century paintings and drawings, 18th and 19th century sculpture and 3-dimensional objects, textiles, 20th and 21st century paintings, drawing and photographs and an extensive collection of outsider artist legend Henry Darger.
- Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:30am-5:30pm, Friday 10:30am-7:30pm.
- Admission: Adults $9, Students $7, Seniors $7, Children under 12 FREE, Friday after 5:30 FREE
- www.folkartmuseum.org/
Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
This is a favorite museum in Baltimore Maryland, located just south of the Inner Harbor in the Federal Hill neighborhood. The eccentric director of this museum Rebecca Hoffberger, has good taste and good connections. Rebecca Hoffberger puts her exhibitions together by conceptual theme rather than by artist. So for example, from October 4, 2008-September 6, 2009 the main exhibition will be entitled The Marriage of Art, Science and Philosophy. According to the blurb on their website, "This exhibition's 100+ visionary artists/scientists/inventors and philosophers take a fresh look at the very notion of light, color, sound, pattern, number, scale, and purpose in their personal pursuit of Wonder." OK, it all sounds a little esoteric, but rest assured that whatever Ms. Hoffberger has put together will be absolutely top notch.
- Hours: 10am-6pm Tuesday - Sunday.
- Admission: Adults $12, Student $8, Senior 55+ $8, children 6 and under free.
Abby Aldrich Folk Art Museum, Williamsburg, Virginia
Part of Historic Williamsburg, Virginia this museum has current exhibitions that focus on conservation of an historic painted room, folk musical instruments, painted furniture, mourning art in early America, American stoneware, an introduction to American folk art, the folk drawings of Lewis Miller, the star motif in American quilts and three centuries of American folk portraits.
- Hours: From January 1 - March 15, 2009, museum and museum store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- From March 16 - December 31, 2009, museum and museum store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Admission: Adult $9, Youth (age 6-17) $4
- www.history.org/History/museums/abby_art.cfm
Museum of International Folk Art, Sante Fe, New Mexico
This international collection of Folk Art holds artworks from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America, Latin America, Contemporary Hispano and Latino, and Spanish Colonial. A current art exhibition is entitled A Chair for All Reasons (through January 4, 2009) and displays almost one hundred chairs from all over the world. Another current exhibition is Needles and Pins: Textiles and Tools (through January 2009) and features weavings, needlework, lace work and costumes from many regions of the world.
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays from September through the end of May. Closed on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Museum is open DAILY from 10 Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Admission: Adult $6 for New Mexico residents, $8 for nonresidents; Youth 16 and under free.
- Sundays: New Mexico residents with I.D are admitted free. Students with I.D. receive a one-dollar discount. Wednesdays: New Mexico resident seniors (60+) with I.D. are free.
- www.moifa.org/
Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California
What an unsual museum! While browsing through the past exhibitions page there were many unknown artists practicing forms of art not typically considered art such. A good museum challenges your brain-the Craft and Folk Art Museum of L.A. does that in spades. Some of these unusual artists include:
Mung Lar Lem an artist who specializes in a household chore loathed by many-ironing. Eva Zeisel a 101-year old Hungarian industrial designer known for her work in ceramics. Ramona Otto is a faux folk artist who creates incredible contemporary art influenced and inspired by real folk art. Jennifer Falck Kinssen practices the ancient art of Japanese paper cutting.
- Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, Thursday: 11:00 - 7:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- Admission: General $5, Students and Seniors $3, Children under 12 free, First Wednesday of every month free.
- www.mocfa.org/
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC
OK, while technically not just a folk art museum, this is a great place to see some truly exceptional folk art works. The museum has the famed Waide Hemphill Jr. collection of artworks-he's the collector who out Howard Finster on the folk art collectibles map. You can also visit the exquisite Throne of the Third Heaven a folk art masterpiece created in secret by Washington DC janitor James Hampton. The Smithsonian American Art Museum also houses the rather secretive Joseph Cornell Study Center. While Cornell is not typically categorized as an outsider artist, it is what he was in many ways.
- Hours: 11:30am - 7pm daily. Closed on December 25, Christmas Day.
- Admission: Free
Do you know of any other outstanding Folk Art and/or Outsider Art museums? Please email...
What is Folk Art or outsider art? Read on.
