Self-taught SC: An Ethological & Artistic Survey: It belongs in a museum: a quick look at one of our state’s efforts for preserving folk art

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

It belongs in a museum: a quick look at one of our state’s efforts for preserving folk art

During our research this month we have found several promising leads of famous self-taught artists. However, for every success story we have also found that many of the once great folk creators have passed away or that their work has since been moved from its original location or destroyed. Though these setbacks where at times frustrating for the sake of our project, what is more disturbing is the thought of losing some of these self-taught artists forever. A few, like Pearl Fryar, have achieved enough fame that organizations have formed to preserve his work but for many folk artists this is not the case. So when fine art galleries turn you away as a self-taught artist where do you go to immortalize your life’s work? The answer, for South Carolina artists at least, is the SC State Museum.

For years Chief Art Curator, Paul Matheny, has upheld the philosophy that self-taught art is a valuable part of our state and it must be preserved. Since the South Carolina Arts Commission houses the work of professional artists, the SC State Museum has taken it upon itself to maintain the lesser known individuals such as those who you have read about in this blog. They too carry the works of Ernest Lee, William Thomas Thompson and Pearl Fryar as well as artists that have since passed such as Heron Briggs, Clayborn Bolt and L. C. Carson. Briggs and Bolt were two of the state’s well known whirligig creators and L. C. Carson was the architect and builder of what was formerly Orangeburg’s Concrete City.

Carson was actually what brought us to the museum in the first place because they hold his entire collection of concrete replicas of the world’s famous sites. After our meeting with Matheny we realized that the museum has more than just Carson’s work. As it turns out, Matheny too was working on a self-taught artist project that culminates in a near year long exhibit titled Uncommon Folk.

So if you have been reading this blog and want to check out a whole collection of artists at once, visit the SC Museum at 301 Gervais Street, Columbia SC 29201 from February 26, 2011 – January 15, 2012. Some of the very same artists we interviewed will have work there on display. Feel free to take a sneak peak at http://www.museum.state.sc.us/exhibits/uncommonfolk.aspx. Or check out the following video about their project:

Also if you know anyone personally that you believe fits the bill for self-taught folk art and you are concerned about their work not being preserved contact Paul Matheny in the museum’s art department.

Until next time,

-Nathan

No comments:

Post a Comment

Project Description

During our January Interim semester at Wofford College, Krista Jones and myself will facilitate the documentation of self-taught artists across the state of South Carolina. Our goal in doing so is to improve our state's artistic representation as well as educate others about our cultural heritage. Throughout the month we will visit individual artists and their works. With each site explored we will provide valuable information concerning the artist, the work itself, materials used, and the inspiration/influence/motivation behind the piece. Our results will then be reviewed and complied into a cohesive form where they can then be shared through our ongoing research blog that shall be maintained throughout the month.

Beyond our project, our work will also supply additional resources to the on-campus Self-taught Artist studio Interim, demonstrating to our peers both the presence and role of Self-taught art in South Carolina. In addition, we will share our findings with the Detour Art data-base (www.detourart.com) as an outreach tool.

What is Self-taught art?

Self-taught art, commonly referred to as Folk art, is a self-motivated artistic expression. This style of work expresses itself as a global phenomenon with each manifestation unique to its particular area. Unlike a fine artist who has been trained in various techniques, self-taught artists are not trained professionals. They rely solely upon the experiences in their own lives as well as cultural influences to create works. Thus, these untrained eyes create pieces that reflect themselves and their region in ways trained artists cannot. Supplies used are not those found in an art store, but are everyday materials that come together in a fantastic culmination that ends as a direct product and reflection of themselves, their livelihood, and how they view the world through the cultural lenses of their environment.