When you see one of Vollis Simpson’s whirligigs adorning the front lawn of a museum, you know it’s no ordinary place. This is indeed the mecca for those who appreciate work by self-taught, outsider or visionary artists.
Hartman Historical Rock Garden 1905 Russell Avenue at McCain Springfield, OH http://www.hartmanrockgarden.org Environment with rocks Recently restored by the Kohler Foundation, the Hartman Rock Garden is one of the most intriguing and revered works of in situ folk art, an outsider art phenomena where self-taught…
“The Baltimore Glassman” Paul Darmafall 1925-2003 Baltimore, MD Mixed media artist “I never did like electric” is one of the first things Paul Darmafall told us when we encountered him at his working class home in South Baltimore. Paul was a Korean War veteran, who…
Karl Mullen 1954 — Washington, DC Mixed media “I am as concerned with magic as I am with meaning. I still cling to the notion that art can mean something—that the individual can mean something.” Excerpted from an email to Kelly Ludwig, author of Detour…
Matt Sesow 1966 — Washington , DC Painting (oil or water-based) At the age of eight, Matt Sesow’s life was altered by a traumatic accident near his rural Nebraska home. While he was playing at a nearby airfield, a plane hit Sesow and severed his…
The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millenium General Assembly – James Hampton 1909-1964 Washington, DC Folk Art Environment “Where there is no vision, the people perish” — Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version) posted on the wall of Hampton’s garage A government worker named…
Yard Show – Robert Howell 1934 — 2004 Midlothian, Powhatan County, VA Whirligig environment Gone “After you buy it, you can call it whatever you want.” Robert Howell has fashioned a unique personal environment based on whirligigs of all shapes and sizes. He builds them…
Ted Ludwiczak 1926 — Haverstraw, NY Sculpture (stone) Private property – Visible from the street Right there on the banks of the Hudson, where the river is at its widest, Ted Ludwiczak makes his heads. They’re like friends to him, he says. Ted worked for…
Kevin Blythe Sampson 1954- Newark, NJ Mixed Media artist Of the many occupations from which grassroots artists tend to come, police officer is pretty rare. Kevin was a New Jersey cop and sketch artist, whose wife and infant son died unexpectedly, in separate illnesses. Art…
Luna Parc – Ricky “King Ricky” Boscarino Artist dates unknown Montague, NJ Mosiac environment Built: 1989 – current Private property Since 1989, when Ricky Boscarino stumbled upon the cabin in the woods and began transforming it into Luna Parc, it has been a massive work…