Fenimore Art Museum
Cooperstown, NY
888-547-1450
http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/
Our Backyard: History and
Memory in American Folk Art
Selections of folk art from the permanent
collection of the New York State Historical Association are the focus of
a new exhibition opening October 21, 2000 and running through December 31,
2000 at Fenimore Art Museum. The exhibition, Our Backyard: History and Memory
in American Folk Art, is curated by Michelle Murdock, Assistant Curator
of Exhibitions. (left: Anonymous artist, Mother and Child - Fenton
Family, c. 1840, watercolor on wove paper, N-18.58, ©New York State
Historical Association, Copperstown. NY)
"This exhibition is organized in two sections that
examine visual histories. National History explores the varied ways folk
artists express national events. Personal History examines depictions of
individuals, memories and experiences," said Murdock. "Today,
these artworks serve as documents of national society and the lives of the
artists."
Folk
artists express through their art the events - ordinary and extraordinary
- that have shaped their lives and communities. Through the process of creating,
folk artists make a permanent record of their cultural ideals, experiences,
and community heritage. This exhibition examines 19th- and 20th-century
representations of memory in historical and personal folk art. (left:
Hannah S. Stokes, Trade and Commerce, quilt, c. 1830, N-222.56, ©New
York State Historical Association, Copperstown. NY)
Memorial paintings, scenes of everyday life, quilts, wood
carvings, and other artifacts will be on exhibit in the Main Gallery at
the museum. Among the most noted include Liberty and Washington,
artist unidentified, ca. 1805, in the National History Section; and the
Trade and Commerce Quilt Top by Hannah Stockton Stiles, ca. 1835,
in the Personal Experience Section.
Read more about the Fenimore Art Museum
in Resource Library Magazine
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This page was originally published in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information. rev. 4/6/11
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Selections of folk art from the permanent
collection of the New York State Historical Association are the focus of
a new exhibition opening October 21, 2000 and running through December 31,
2000 at Fenimore Art Museum. The exhibition, Our Backyard: History and Memory
in American Folk Art, is curated by Michelle Murdock, Assistant Curator
of Exhibitions. (left: Anonymous artist, Mother and Child - Fenton
Family, c. 1840, watercolor on wove paper, N-18.58, ©New York State
Historical Association, Copperstown. NY)