RP141 American Folk Art Traditions

RP141 American Folk Art Traditions

Folk art is different from fine art or high art. Folk means "of the people." It is art created by people who were not trained as artists. Folk art is often useful, rather than a piece to be admired. It can show what objects people used and valued in a particular time and place. Two objects that became American folk art are quilts and decoys.

A quilt is a large piece of fabric, usually meant to cover a bed. A typical type of American quilt is a piece quilt. Piece quilts are made by sewing different pieces of fabric into a pattern. Some patterns show stars; some show snowflakes. Some are simple, and some are very complex. Quilts were often made by women, either alone or in groups, and were often given as gifts. Beautiful, complex quilts were treasures that were passed down from parents to children in a family. African-Americans developed their own style of quilting, as did the Amish. African-American quilts sometimes tell stories, while Amish quilts are often plain and less colorful.

Another very typical American folk art object is the decoy. Decoys are objects made of wood that are painted and designed to look like ducks and other waterbirds. They were first used by Native Americans to attract live birds. The first English settlers learned the skill from the Native Americans. Though decoys were useful objects, some of them were painted very beautifully and realistically. Like most folk art, each decoy represents the region in which it was made. Decoys from different parts of America have different styles of carving and painting. They tell a story about their small part of the world, just as the quilts do.