Down dusty rural roads and in inner-city housing projects, American folk art has always flourished. Folk artists may be teenagers just beginning their lives, or they may be octogenarians who knew grandparents emancipated from slavery. Some of them work as janitors in bakeries; some farm the land. One, a quadriplegic, wields a paintbrush in his mouth, and another weaves miniature tapestries from threads of unraveled socks while serving time. These artists are as diverse as American society, yet some of their creations have certain themes in common: the struggle against social injustice, the trauma of 037drugs and alcohol, and […]
