Clippinger+Unit+3+Project+(Early+American+Folk+Art)

= American Art: Recreating It to Be Unlike the British =

**Objective**: My objective is for the class to have the ability to summarize the types of early folk arts, and why they were motivated by America's independence from the British.
After the United States gained its independence from Britain, they realized that much of their identity had been formed through all the British customs. The people decided that everything that they did was part of the British, and they wanted to cut all ties with the British, including in their arts. One of the challenges of this time period was creating their own artistic identity, and today, I will be telling you about it. My objective is for the class to have the ability to explain the different areas of the arts that the citizens of the US developed after separation from Britain.

**folk art**

artistic works, as paintings, sculpture, basketry, and utensils, produced typically in cultural isolation by untrained often anonymous artists or by artisans of varying degrees of skill and marked by such attributes as highly decorative design, bright bold colors, flattened perspective, strong forms in simple arrangements, and immediacy of meaning.
 * // noun //**

This definition is from [] I claim no rights to it. This supports my objective; It talks about the meaning of folk art, and American folk art is what we are about to get into.

So obviously that definition is what folk art is and has become. But how does it connect to folk art, and the challenges involved when America was working to separate its customs from those of the British? That is what we’re going to find out.

Folk art, as described in the definition, is known as art in which the artist is rather inexperienced, having not been educated to create art. It is thought of now as rather a hobby, and it isn’t taken very seriously. Often these paintings were done in a style known as “primitive”. The features on the people painted were often very plain, and rarely did they smile. Small children, both boys and girls, were painted in dresses, and the distinguishing feature was often the part of their hair. Boys’ hair was parted off to the side, where as young girls were parted in the very middle. Keep in mind that this is a rough majority, and style varies from artist to artist. Another way to tell the difference between small children was the props held in the painting. They usually were stereotypical objects associated with little boys or little girls. For instance, a boy might be pictured holding a ball, a dog, or a toy gun. Small girls were often pictured with flowers, a doll, or a cat or kitten in their arms. (Awwwwwww.)

Another type of folk art (besides your typical paintings) during our time period was quilting. Quilts were a form of folk art that was a skill handed down through families and communities. In the American Folk Art Museum, there is an exhibition called “Women Only” that displays quilts and other forms of artwork that were created by women.

Folk art was a form of art created by many but accepted as true art by few. It was the American way of coming into our own as creators, not just being independent as people. This crucial moment defined that even though it is challenging to bring new things into fruition, with spirit and hard work, it can be done, and respect can eventually be earned. Severing ties with British ways was difficult for Americans, but they yet again prevailed, succeeding with a new style of art.

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This is a video about quilts in folk art. It is by Pottery Barn (Don't laugh!) and I found it on Youtube. Don't be fooled by the Pottery Barn-ness; it actually has a lot of good information from the American Museum of Folk Art.