American Folk Art for Kids

With 21 Activities

Richard Panchyk

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Year: 2004
• eBook ISBN:
  9781613741191
• Edition: 1

Drawing on the natural folk art tendencies of children, who love to collect buttons, bottle caps, shells, and Popsicle sticks to create beautiful, imperfect art, this activity guide teaches kids about the history of this organic art and offers inspiration for them to create their own masterpieces. The full breadth of American folk art is surveyed, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the 17th century through today. Making bubblegum wrapper chains, rag dolls, bottle cap sculptures, decoupage boxes, and folk paintings are just a few of the activities designed to bring out the artist in every child. Along the way kids learn about the lives of Americans throughout history and their casual relationships to everyday art as they cut stencils, sew needlepoint samplers, draw calligraphy birds, and design quilts. Important folk artists such as the last surviving Shakers, the legendary Grandma Moses, and the Reverend Howard Finster are also explored in sidebars throughout the book.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword by William C. Ketchum Jr.
• Foreword by Mr. Imagination
• Introduction: What Is Folk Art?
• Author’s Note
• 1 The Origins of Folk Art
• 2 Folk Painting and Drawing
• 3 The Decorative Arts
• 4 Fabric Sewn and Stitched
• 5 Chiseled, Carved, and Hammered
• 6 Found Objects and Scraps
• 7 Public Folk Art
• Afterword: Folk Art Now
• Glossary
• Museums with Folk Art Collections
• Selected Bibliography
• Index