What is folk art?

• Folk art is largely defined by the process through which it is created.
• Folk art implies an informal, person-to-person learning experience.

For example:
At first glance three quilts may appear to be identical. After a bit of investigation we find that the first quilt was made by a machine in a factory. The second was created by someone who has a college degree in textile arts and learned to quilt by reading and attending classes. The third was made by a woman who learned to quilt by watching, listening to and modeling the work done by the members of her mother's quilting circle. Of all three quilts, only the last example illustrates the meaning of the word "folk art" as we define it at the Castellani Art Museum.

Folk art means many things to many people. Our definition is based on the ever-evolving scholarship of professionally trained folklorists working in academic settings and in the public sector. The terms "folk art" and "folk artist" are rarely used in community settings. Our exhibitions, publications and educational programs refer to the descriptive names communities assign their cultural traditions: quilting, carving, beadwork. Traditional artists are most likely to identify themselves as makers of a specific cultural artform: quilter, carver, beadworker.

For additional information about the topics of folk art and folklore visit the New York Folklore Society's website at www.nyfolklore.org.