I readily admit to a lifelong fascination of and involvement
in American Folk Art. Back in 1970, as a photojournalism student at the
University of Kentucky, I worked with Professor Michael D. Hall to introduce
the work of master Appalachian woodcarver Edgar Tolson. Many scholars consider
our modest exhibition in the Student Center Art Gallery to be the genesis of 20th-century
American folk art. Until then, art critics and connoisseurs thought of the
genre in terms of 19th-century weathervanes, whirligigs, or advertising signs.
Scholars believed that the age of naive, self-trained artists had disappeared.
The spirit of folk art, however, was very much alive. In mountain
hollers, Mississippi senior citizen centers, a mission in Sweetwater, Arizona,
and untold other unexpected sites, “naïve” or self-taught artists were making
their own artistic statements.
Tolson’s work exploded on the national art scene and his
work was featured in the prestigious Whitney Biennial and major American museums.
Collectors clamored for his work. Several of Edgar’s neighbors in Eastern
Kentucky began producing their own personal expressions and a new market was
established almost overnight. This grass-roots art movement meant a chance for
income to some of the most poverty-cursed areas of the nation. It also allowed
some gifted artists and craftsmen the chance to express themselves in
woodcarvings, pottery, paintings, and other imaginative art forms.
Folk art has been defined as the creations of self-taught
artisans, working within a framework of their own community’s traditions and
cultures. Among the Navajo people, objects like carved wooden figures and
ceremonial baskets were strictly limited by tribal taboos and not meant for
casual self-expression. In the 1980s, Jack Beasley, a trader in Farmington, New
Mexico, recognized and encouraged Navajo craftsmen to try their hand at this
emerging art form. Early Navajo pioneers included Clitso Dedman, Charlie
Willeto, Woody Herbert, and the irrepressible grande dame of the movement,
Mamie Deschillie.
For several years in the late 1990s, Susie and I operated
our own gallery in Cortez, Colorado, called Folk Art of the Four Corners. We
took the work nationwide by participating in shows and art fairs from Atlanta
to San Francisco and nearly every place in between.
Twin Rocks Trading Post has been working with talented
self-trained folk artists over 30 years. Most critics agree that folk art is
marked by asymmetrical lines, vivid colors, and a sense of whimsy and humor. If
that is so, few contemporary folk artists excel the work of Matthew Yellowman.
Carvings like his large and vivid Cowboy Chicken, or Roadrunners in tennis
shoes, bring smiles to everyone who views them. American popular culture has
for too long depicted Native Americans as formal and solemn, when in reality,
few people value wit and humor more than Navajos. They delight in puns and
jokes and their folk art reflects this, and few craftsmen express it as clearly
as Matthew.
Dennis Ross is another of our featured artists, and his work
typically reflects the Navajo world in a different, idealized form. Dennis
depicts a past era in which the Diné dressed in their traditional clothing and
jewelry. His wood carvings reflect his combined Navajo and Hopi heritage. As
large and jolly as Dennis Ross is in person, his woodcarvings are elegant,
elongated, and sophisticated.
Much of the work of Marvin Jim looks into the distant past
of Navajo legend and lore. He carves powerful renditions of the earliest days,
when humans and animals lived as one and wild beasts proudly wore their
blankets, moccasins, and formal jewelry, walking and talking with humans.
Legend has it the animals grew tired of dealing with the frustrating humans and
decided to drop down on all fours and return to their natural state, without
human fashions or complications. Marvin’s imagination and superior
wood-crafting skills brings the ancient stories alive as no other contemporary
Native artisan.
So, this is a confession that I, Rick Bell, continue to be a
committed fan of American folk art, and especially that of the Navajo people. When
I see someone bring into the trading post a piece that is new, original, and
entirely personal, it always brightens my day.
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