WHAT IS FOLK ART?

FOLK ART is the art of the everyday.

FOLK ART is rooted in traditions that come from community and culture.

FOLK ART expresses cultural identity by conveying shared community values and aesthetics.

FOLK ART encompasses a range of utilitarian and decorative media, including cloth, wood, paper, clay, metal and more. If traditional materials are inaccessible, new materials are often substituted, resulting in contemporary expressions of traditional folk art forms.

FOLK ART reflects traditional art forms of diverse community groups-ethnic, tribal, religious, occupational, geographical, age- or gender-based-who identify with each other and society at large.

FOLK ART is made by individuals whose creative skills convey their community's authentic cultural identity, rather than an individual or idiosyncratic artistic identity.

FOLK ARTISTS traditionally learn skills and techniques through apprenticeships in informal community settings, though they may also be formally educated.

MASTER FOLK ARTISTS demonstrate superior levels of craftsmanship and creativity, often introducing new materials and innovations that express both traditional and contemporary imagery and values. In this way, traditional folk art forms evolve as dynamic living traditions.

FOLK ART fosters connections between art and people with a creative spirit that unites all the cultures of the world.

The Museum of International Folk Art
Building cultural understanding through folk art