Art environments are typically made by by artists working outside the mainstream of contemporary art. Exposed to the weather and free for public viewing, the environments have little or no connection to the monetized art-object-based realm of galleries and museums. Often the ‘artists’ don’t think of themselves as, or like to be called ‘artists’, their […]
Art vehicles can be essentially a detachable extension of an art environment (Leonard Knight, Clarke Bedford, Jeff Elersic), an expression of personal biography (Billy Tripp, Melanie Harris), a cohesively themed idea (Harrod Blank), or a decorative extravaganza (Greg Phelps, Guy DeShazo).
Dickeyville Grotto by Father Matthias Wernerus in Dickeyville, Wisconsin Rudolph Grotto by Father Philip Wagner in Rudolph, Wisconsin Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption by Father Paul Dobberstein in West Bend, Iowa St. Peters Rock Grotto by Father Scheier in Farmer, Noirth Dakota
American roadside displays, off-beat curiosities, and yard shows.
Buildings such as theaters, banks, fire stations, and storefronts repurposed to churches and mosques. Synagogues converted into Christian churches.
American vernacular architecture and hand-painted decorations.
Recent collaborative documentation of art environments, self-taught, outsider, and visionary artists, Easter displays, collections and grottos.
Always a happy warrior, helping young people understand their history and choose their paths in life has always been a primary – perhaps the primary – purpose of Joe Minter’s work.
A life-long resident of Birmingham whose work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Joe Minter’s first major local recognition came at age 81. He always hopes to see young people visit his African Village in America, and frequently says his work is “for them.” To Joe’s great delight, […]
A gallery of hand-painted vernacular signage and murals mostly produced for commercial establishments. Typically, but not always, the work of professional sign painters and often humorous, these are one-of-a-kind works of street art.
Since around 1996 Mary Paulsen has built a chapel and a series of small buildings out of wood and bottles to house her collection of 60’s pop culture and Coca-Cola memorabilia, as well as her own artworks. A Rochester, NY based photographer James Conner volunteered to design a brochure for Mary’s new doll museum. I […]
“This is a piece of ground that’s been blessed by God to send a message” Joe Minter, May 4, 2024 In the lot next to his house overlooking Shadowlawn Memorial Gardens, a historically black cemetery containing the remains of slaves, Joe Minter has assembled an “African Village in America” out of found materials. Upside-down […]
Article on John Culver with photography by Fred Scruton appears in Folk Art Messenger Magazine, Fall/Winter 2016/2017.
Article on John Culver with photography by Fred Scruton appears in issue 81 of Raw Vision Magazine.