Image 1

Charles Schoenheider, Sr.

Peoria, IL (1854-1944)

painted by Jack Franks

Peoria, IL (life dates unknown)

decoy: standing mallard drake, circa 1915

wood, pigment, cast iron

Gift of Merle and Barbara Glick 2001.19

Image 2

Catherine Y. Stewart

crib quilt: Toad in a Puddle pattern, circa 1915

cotton

Glick Collection of Illinois Quilts 2004.1.5

Image 3

Alfred Montgomery

untitled (basket, corn), undated

oil on canvas

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin P. Horner, Waco, Texas, in memory of his parents Mr. and Mrs. H.N. Horner, Davis, Oklahoma 1996.35.4

Image 4

William D. Neher

American (1869-1961)

untitled (Mountain Lion: fountain), circa 1929

concrete

Gift of the children of Norma Neher Scheid 2003.31

Folk art can be described as art of the common people. It includes quilts, coverlets, decoys, pottery, paintings, weathervanes, carvings, ironwork, stencils, samplers, barber poles, carousel horses, and much more (Image 1). Folk art is usually made by people who are not trained as artists and who are trying to make everyday and utilitarian objects a little prettier, nicer, or more decorative. It demonstrates the human urge to bring beauty – in many different ways, shapes and forms – into everyday life.

When they created a beautiful object, folk artists may not have thought of it as art. To the maker it may have just been a quilt used to keep warm or a decoy used to hunt (Image 2); yet the artist took the time to make the object beautiful to enrich his or her life as it our lives today.

Many folk artists cannot be identified today due to the lack of record keeping and the passage of time, but their work was not anonymous when it was first made. Family, friends, and employers would have recognized their skill. The art was made by the people and for the people (Image 3).

Folk art often represents the everyday life of artists in the time that they lived. This means that folk art can be appreciated for its beauty and artistic qualities, but can also be used as a source of social history. It can be used to tell a story of what living in Illinois was like in the past.

Folk art is still being created today. An appreciation of folk art will lead to a greater appreciation of the environment around you. Art, especially folk art, is everywhere! Notice the objects around you. Did someone work to make a useful object (maybe a textile, piece of furniture, or tool) more appealing? Do you think that it is folk art? You be the judge!

Sources:

“Folk Art of Illinois”, a presentation by Merle Glick

“Folk Art in American Life” by Robert Bishop and Jacqueline M. Atkins, 1995