Anna-Marie has inspired me to begin some educational-type posts. I'm not planning on making these an actual class, partly because I'm not sure of all the workings of Blogger at this point, and partly because I don't want to bite off more than I can chew right now. What I thought I'd attempt to do is to take an in-depth look at several different forms of American folk crafts... probably one a month... and perhaps offer some try-it-at-home projects.

For the remainder of August, I thought we'd just talk about what "Folk Art" means and the purpose of crafts in America. Here is a great quote from "Discovering American Folk Art" (OK, I have to ask Jo how to italicize in html... it is a book):

"'Discovering American Folk Art' takes us back to earlier centuries, when Americans led a more rugged existence, making with their own hands the objects they used in their daily lives. there were few machines and no factories.. In those early days, Americans made a wide variety of objects so skillfully created and so imaginatively decorated that they deserved to be ranked as art. These works, most of which were made by people whose names are not known to us, are classified as folk art."

Many folk artists were self-taught. Some were apprenticed at trades or were taught skills at home. Those that I consider folk ARTISTS took an ordinary craft and added an artistic flair such as color or unique design. They turned the ordinary into something extraordinary. Those that I think of as folk CRAFTERS reached a level of perfection within the traditional boundaries of their craft... such as the beautiful simplicity of Shaker boxes. I consider both to be just as artistic, and think learning about our folk craft heritage an important part of discovering American history. It's part of who we are.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Interest?

Kim