The Grand Rapids Art Museum is opening a new exhibit, American Perspectives, sharing the stories of artists from around the country, past and present.
The exhibition features over 80 American folk art objects, from paintings and pottery to quilts, needlework, and sculpture.
Folk artists, sometimes referred to as self-taught artists, are individuals whose talents emerged from personal experience rather than formal training. Their creations are beautiful, diverse, truthful, often utilitarian, and rooted in their individual heritage or community.
Many of the works in the exhibition present the perspectives of groups that are largely unseen in art museums, such as enslaved people, immigrants, and people with disabilities. It reinforces how many of society’s current issues—immigration, political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and loss of personal liberties—have been concerns in the past and remain topics of significance today.
American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection will be on display from May 22 - August 28.
Museum hours, free days, and reserve timed tickets can be found at artmuseumgr.org.
