Hi! I'm Joe Adams, Prince of Folk Art. "Who made me Prince?" you might be asking. Well, folk artists are self-taught. And I am a self - taught, self - appointed "Prince." And I have six folk art crowns to prove it. I will gladly relinquish my title to anyone who has more crowns... and wears them better.

If you already know about contemporary folk art and why it has become the hottest form of art in the country today, you may find the following "Questions and Answers" a little boring. Mainly this section of our website was created for people who are new to folk art.

These questions and answers have appeared in articles in a couple of different folk art publications... and are used in workshops we give on folk art collecting.

Please check them out. After you read these, if you have additional questions, write to me by email and I will do my best to answer any questions you might have. Or, if you disagree with me about anything, start your own website.

JOE ADAMS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT CONTEMPORARY FOLK ART:

Q. What's the difference between contemporary folk art, Outsider Art, and visionary art?

A. It's essentially the same. Basically it's the art of self-taught people. Collectors and curators just haven't been able to agree on a single name. Some people feel that "Outsider Art" has negative implications; that it's not an inclusive term.

Q. Why is it called Outsider Art?

A. At one time, it was art that was "outside" the mainstream of the art world. Roger Cardinal, an Englishman who coined the term, felt that the artists were creating outside of their community standards or culture. Some artists are. But I'm not sure the term has much validity today other than a handy label. For one thing, the art has not only come full force into the mainstream of the art world, it's become the leading form of contemporary art.

Q. Are the artists psychotic?

A. Some of them are. But most are not. Some dealers and collectors prefer psychotic art. They've uncovered a great deal of art in mental institutions, prisons, etc. Often art of this type is found after a person dies. Unfortunately, a lot of the art has been misappropriated. Sometimes the art has been taken by attendants at mental hospitals, then it's sold to outside people without the knowledge or consent of the mental patients or their families. It's in flagrant violation of their rights. Often, too, art of this type is found and thrown away which may be a worse violation.

Q. Why can mental patients create art when they can't function in society?

A. Not all mental patients do artwork. But there's a healing power in art. It becomes a way that people are able to deal with spiritual isolation, loneliness, and solitude. But folk art isn't about mental illness.

Q. Why do untrained people take up art?

A. No one knows for sure. I've visited with dozens of artists; read about many more. Coming to art is generally very spontaneous and unplanned. It often seems to be triggered by some trauma or sudden change in a person's life - a death in the family, a tragic accident, a divorce, a life-threatening disease. Again, it's a time of spiritual isolation. It's also interesting to me that more than half of the folk artists come to art late in life. They have more time, I think. And it's also a time when they don't much care whether someone approves or disapproves. They discover a new passion and usually never let it go. Once they start painting, it seems to keep them alive and they paint or carve until they're on their deathbed. Brother Ben Perkins, one of the country's most celebrated folk artists, had a stroke when he was 90 years old. He was paralyzed on the right side, but was teaching himself to painting left-handed when he died. I think it's wonderful that someone can still be living a very creative life; blossoming and growing at after 90 years.

Q. Why have collectors become so interested in folk art?

A. There have always been people who collected eccentric art and artifacts; so folk art isn't a new form to them. But it became more popular when regional and national museums began exhibiting this type of art and adding it to their permanent collections. folk art began to gain a wider audience in the later 1980's, a time when many people felt that contemporary art had become spiritless and rather dull, to say nothing of being overpriced and over hyped. Contemporary art was becoming the domain of Wall Street traders and was often bought by people who never even saw the art since it was resold in tier fashion. A lot of dealers and individuals benefited financially, but not too many people believe that it was a fine time for art. Contemporary folk art emerged because it was filled with passion. It communicates with people. It's art form the heart. A friend of mine says "You have to look at it with an open heart, not just an open mind." It's not cerebral. You don't need someone to analyze it for you; criticize and intellectualize. With folk art, you're going to either love it or hate it. But you're never going to forget it.

Q. Maybe it's just a fad and it too will pass.

A. Perhaps. but I doubt it. It's grown from it's own strength and from the belief that people have in it. You can be sure that there has been great resistance to it from many curators, art historians, museums, art dealers, critics, and art instructors. Even today, there are state arts organizations that do not consider the work of self-taught people as a legitimate art form. When I wrote to Bob Jones University that they might want to include some religious folk art into their famous collection of religious art, I got a nasty letter back from the curator saying work of this type had absolutely no place in a fine art collection such as theirs. He seemed to think that it was OK to buy up all that Catholic Art commissioned by Popes, yet everyday people weren't supposed to have artistic expressions. There's no turning back this art form now. The first national museum - chartered by Congress as the official museum of self-taught artists - opened in Baltimore. The American Visionary Art Museum is incredible. It's destined to become one of the major museums of the world. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art has acquired, built and displays an extensive collection. Membership in the Folk At Society of America and the American Museum of Folk Art are at all time highs. Sanford Smith does a major Outsider Art Fair every year in New York. There are more that 100 art galleries specializing in this type of art. Sotheby's and Christie's both include folk art in their Americana auctions.

Q. Have the prices gone up appreciably because of this broader interest?

A. For the work of some artists, the increases have been astronomical. Sam Doyle sold his paintings for $75 to $100 at the height of his career in the 80's. His work sells for $5,000 to $35,000 now. There are many other examples. But, it doesn't mean that all folk art is going to go up in value. I don't think people should buy art of any kind as an investment. We should buy it because we love it. Art's not a commodity although some people will continue to treat it that way.

Q. What kind of people collect folk art?

A. I think it would be impossible to put together a definitive profile of a typical collector. Most of them are well-educated. All are self-assured; they don't much care what their neighbors or friends think about their taste in art. Many are young because folk art is still very affordable. Most of the collectors I know are passionate about art and about life. And, hardly anyone buys just one piece of folk art. Collecting folk art seems to be somewhat addictive.

Q. What would it cost to put together a great folk art collection?

A. Well, people don't generally put together a great collection overnight. Usually the art is acquired over a number of years and it becomes great because many of the artists become better and better known. But if you wanted to put together a good collection including a few well known "masters" and a group of emerging artists, you could probably acquire a fine collection of 100 pieces for $50-$60,000. Considering that people pay far more than that for a single painting of a relatively unknown fine artist, one can see why folk art has attracted a broad spectrum of collectors. But, I don't think most people collect folk art just because it's affordable. I think they collect it because it moves them. It amuses them and makes them laugh. It gives them a spiritual connection. They like the unadulterated creativity; the purity and authenticity.

Q. What makes the art of some artists go up in the value so dramatically?

A. It's a combination of factors. Whether the artist was prolific or only did a few paintings. Whether the artist has been featured in major museum exhibits, books, magazines, newsletters, etc. And, collectors themselves often cause the values to go up simply because they share information and enthusiasm about a particular artist they've discovered. And, I would have to add, a lot of it has to do with whether the artist is dead or alive. Generally speaking, the early work of a folk artist becomes the most treasured. That is one reason serious collectors are always looking for the work of new and emerging artists. Their best and purest work is often done in isolation, before they are "discovered." Once pickers and collectors start showing up at their doors, artists sometimes start slapping out art in machinelike fashion. It's not true of all the artists, but it's true of many.

Q. How does one start collecting?

A. Buy a painting! it's as simple as that. Most people learn about folk art as they collect. but if you're the kind who want's to educate yourself first, you can go see a lot of folk art. Go to museums and galleries. Buy folk art books and catalogs. There are a couple of fine magazines and newsletters completely devoted to folk art. There are also numerous folk art events at which you can meet some of the artists. but, there's also a lot of shows and exhibits that are billed as "Folk Art" yet they're nothing more than country crafts. Folk art is a wide umbrella. Even a lot of trained artists are jumping under it since it sells so well. I think that collecting should be fun. And sometimes it's more fun if you collect certain types of art. Some people collect certain types of art. Some people collect art from a certain region or state - Appalachian art, Alabama artists, etc. Others collect certain images - Statues of Liberty, women in bathing suits, animals, political and patriotic themes, folk art portraits of famous people, religious art, angels, etc. Some longtime collectors have mini-collectors of crucifixes, for example. Also a collection of snakes and or walking canes.

Q. What do you like most about folk art?

A. I think it celebrates the Creative Spirit that dwells in each of us. It's more about creativity than about art. It should remind all of us that we have untapped creative potential that only comes alive if we're courageous enough to let the spiritual side take charge of our destiny. These artists have all turned themselves over to "the Other Voice" which many of us fear even when it calls to us. These artists have no fear even when it calls to us. These artists have no fear; no doubts. They are free spirits with no concerns about what their neighbors or family think about their art. They are usually pleased when someone shows an interest in it, but they're certainly not going to stop creating because someone doesn't like it.

Q. Is it true that most of the folk artists are southern?

A. Well, folk art exists all over the world. But it is true that many of the best known folk artists in this country live in the South or were born in the South. Many are African-American but they are not inn the majority. In the South, we have a strong history of story-story-telling. And, a great deal of folk art is about story-story-telling - memory painters; passionate self expression. We also accept - and probably encourage - eccentricities. I'm not sure any Southerner considers himself or herself "normal." We certainly aren't the kind who would abject if some old Black man started painting on plywood using molasses and mud as Jimmy Less Sudduth did in Fayette, Alabama. That's why I don't think Roger Cardinal's definition of Outsider Art applies to our folk artists. Jimmy Lee is a local hero. Nearly every family in town has one or more of his paintings. Their local museum features a whole wall of them. In fact, he's a legend all over the state.

Q. When did museums begin showing serious interest in folk art?

A. Regional museums were the first to shoe folk art. They featured artists that were in their own backyards. The Corcoran was probably the first major museum to exhibit Outsider Art in 1983. It was a very significant exhibition of self-taught African-American artists, all of whom have since achieved national acclaim as a result. Since then, dozens of major museums have shown folk art. And regional museums still function to uncover local talent.

Q. Is folk art really a form of contemporary art?

A. If you have to fit it in and categorize it, that's where it should go. Bessie Harvey's work was included in the last Whitney Biennial. The museums that have done the ground ground breaking work have been, by and large, contemporary art museums. In fact, both the Los Angeles Museum of Art and The New Museum of Contemporary Art have done exhibits combining the work of trained modern artists and self-taught artists, mainly to illustrate the similarities of creative visions, the use of nontraditional materials and techniques (especially the use of found objects).

Q. But are they accidental similarities?

A. I don't know. There's been a long history in the art world of trained artists appropriating images and designs of children's art and from primitive cultures. They've even struggled to "untrain" themselves to gain a primitiveness; a spiritual honesty in their art. There's no question that many fine artists were influenced by the simplicity and innocence found in children's art, for example. I'm not a scholar and my personal view is probably overly simplistic. But I believe that art is art. I don't know why people have such a need to categorize, label and pigeonhole what is essentially a visual experience. You look at art. I'm not sure we should compare creativity. Art speaks loudly and clearly. It's filled with humor and emotion. It makes us feel. I think it's difficult not to like folk art for those very reasons.

NEED A SPEAKER ON FOLK ART? Joe Adams gives lectures at arts centers around the country; he also conducts educational workshops for the University of South Carolina and for Elderhosel. His "show and tell" presentations are funny and educational... his talk has been called "the best art lecture I've ever heard in my life." It's certainly the most unusual! For information about his lecture, "The Inside Scoop on Outsider Art," contact us by email: folk art@hargray.com