“Black Folk Art in America” presented the work of 20 mostly elderly, rural, and Southern African American artists who had little formal education of any kind, especially in art. Instead, they relied on personal narratives, community and political history, religious convictions, and popular culture to generate their art, which often deployed unconventional, sometimes salvaged materials. The exhibition affirmed the existence of an important tradition in American art that was being ignored by major institutions—a vast body of accomplished, compelling contemporary art that came out of distinct cultural experiences, geographical contexts, and social circumstances. Continue Reading Black Folk Art in America, 1930-1980