TAKE A WALK ON THE
W1TH FOLK ARTIST
EIE
~A
EIr
~mericanfolk arthas
emerged as an essential
and importantcomponent
of Americanvisualand
artisticheritage.This emergence has
occurredalongwith an increased
recognitionof the indigenousartsof
NativeAmericans,the artof women and
ethnic minorities,andthe finelymade
works associatedwith the new craft
movement.Artworldinteractionswith
andrecognitionof folk artprovides
opportunitiesto reflecton time-honored
definitions,expectations,andpractices.
The growingartworldacceptanceof
folk artalso raises interestingaesthetic
questions aboutthe natureandvalue of
art,and aboutwhatit means to be an
artist.This paperdescribes the author's
encounterwith a localfolk artist,Jack
Barker,anduses this narrativeto
demonstratehow the study of folk
artistsoffersvaluableclassroom
opportunitiesfor inquiry.
Takea Walkon the WildSide. That's
whatthe sign says, strategicallyplaced
on Jack'spropertyamidstan awesome
arrayof 12'-highgreen andpurple
dinosaursmade from55-gallonoil
drums,terribleturquoisepterodactyls
constructedout of fanhousings,
chrome dogs made fromcarbumpers,
ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 1999
WILD SIDE.
r
pinkflamingosin flightconstructed ?0
with metal shavings,an 8'-tallrusting
white skeleton with movablearms and
legs constructedof gears, flywheels,
andbicycle chains. Present also are
sculpturesof a stooped over larger-
irlE
T4
than-lifeold beardedprospectorand his
mule;Dennis Rodmanin all his
hilariousregalia;Santaand Rudolph; Pi.t
Big Bird,Bart,Barney,Mickey Mouse, !!ti ;
. I
eIL
t
DonaldDuck, and some pigs and cats
made of steel wool. No, you are not on
the grounds of some crazedHollywood
sci-fiset designer.This is the frontlawn
of an old gas stationin a place thattime i DOME
forgot,where folk artistand accordion
playerJackBarkerinvitesyou, quite
literally,to "takea walk on the wild
TAKE A WALHK
side!" ONTHE
Jack,a friendlytalkativemachinist
who collects MarilynMonroeand Elvis
Presley memorabilia,loves to have
wViliVJ Sk i
visitors.Jackalso participatesin
parades,mountinghis favorite
characterson the front,top, andback of
his old stationwagon.Jack'sDonald
Ducksculpturehas a head thatmoves
fromside to side, with the help of an BY ELIZABETH
attachedrope thatJackpullsfromhis
frontseat. The rope is low-techbut a MANLEY
cleverway to animateDonald,andthe DELACRUZ
factthateveryone sees Jackpullingthe
rope adds a sense of whimsy to his
 The trunk of his 9'-tall foam elephant, mounted on the back of the

station wagon, unexpectedly squirts water in two directions, delighting

the children (and adults) standing alongside the parade route.

kinetic artwork.The trunkof his 9'-tall nuclearelectricityplantin Braidwood, potentiallyhazardousunderground

foam elephant,mountedon the back of
the stationwagon, unexpectedly
squirtswaterin two directions,
delightingthe children (andadults)
standingalongside the paraderoute.
Jackstartedmakinghis artabout5
or 6 years ago, at age 59-after he was
laid off as a securityofficerfroma
Illinois."Ihad to do something,or I'd
go crazywith boredom,"he explains.
For 20 years Jackowned the local gas
stationin Essex, Illinois.Duringthe
1970sthe EPAbegan requiringgas
stationsto addressthe problemof their
holdingtanks.Jackwas forcedto close
his business and seek other
employment.
A LOTLIKEART
Jack'sexperience in cutting,
welding,and repairingautobodies and
fenders in his gas stationwere the
traininggroundfor his current

JANUARY 1999 / ART EDUCATION

artmaking."WhatI didwhen I was
doing bodywork on cars was a lot like
art,"Jacknowobserves.Healso
reminiscesnostalgically, "Ifyou'dof
toldme back then thatI'dbe making
purpledinosaurs outof junk,I'dhave
said'you'renuts'!"Unawarethathis
earlyartfulassemblagesandcolorful
creatureswere"art," Jacktellswith
amusementhowhe discoveredthathe
wasanartist:'Thiscoupleina really
fancycardroveupto theoldstationone
day,gotoutoftheircarandasked,
'Who'stheartist?' Heck,I didn'teven
knowthatIwasanartistuntilthen."
Duringthe 1970sJackstarted
hoardingusefulandinteresting
automotive refuse,including
interestinglyshapedbumpers,
housings,andmufflers. Jackthought
he mightsomedaytransform theminto
somethingelse.Jack'scurrent
expeditionsto thelocaljunkyardbring
newbountyto his creativeprocess.He
nownotes,"Expensive, andhardto
I
explainwhy paid so much fora pileof
junk! Themost interestingshapes
weighandcostthemost!"
Jackhasseveralassemblagesin
progressatthe sametime.Heoften
thinksaboutfuturesculptureswhile
completingothers.Hisearliestlarge-
scaleworksinvolvedcutting,welding,
andpaintingoilbarrels,mufflers,
tractorparts,andtailpipes.Jack'sHorse
Sculpturerecallsthose createdby
DeborahButterfield (Jackhasnever
heardofButterfield). thatareoftenover6'tall.My
armatures booksaboutnature.
Jackcreateda seriesof
Previously, personalfavoritesfromJack'searlier Jackcollectsjust abouteverything.
worksusingsteelwool.Afterpainting works includethe dog andbirdseries ViewingJack'sofficeis a memorable
the steelwoolconstructionshe added metal
inwhichhe usedraw,unpainted experienceinandofitself.Itis a dusty
additionalfoundmaterialsto the shavings over armatures.He often shrinecrammedfromfloorto
dimly-lit
structuresasfinishingtouches.Heis planshis creationsandworks from ceilingwithsheetmusic,musical
currentlyexploringtheuse ofself- pencil drawings,completewith notes instruments,ElvisandMarilyn
hardeningsprayfoaminsulationon and
aboutdimensions,materials, collectibles,hundredsof recordalbums
processes. He generates his ideas from (vintagevinyl),an old recordplayer
examiningcerealboxes, old magazines
and
andcomicbooks,advertisements,

ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 1999

(thekindthatstacksandplaysrecords
tendeep),a primitive and
amplifier
speakers,newspaperclippingsabout
Jack'sdisplays,books,letters,
sketches,stacksoffamilyphotos,
numeroussmallworksofartin
progress,andanamazing
conglomeration ofinteresting
whatnots.Onoccasion,Jackis
persuadedto playhis accordionfor
visitors.Actually,allonehasto dois
mentiontheaccordionandhe will
inviteyoutolistento animpromptu
medleyofElvissongs,BigBandmusic,
andoldBroadway showtunes.Jack's
lifelongfriends,GeneandBob,may
stopinfortheconcert.GeneandBob
alsowillfreelygiveyoutheirviewson
anysubject,includinganoccasional
humorousobservation aboutthe
secondcareeroftheirlifelongfriend
turnedfolkartist.
A NICHEINTHEARTWORLD
Oneofmymostinterestingoutings
withJackwasourvisitto the 1997
SOFA(Sculpture, Objects,Furniture,
andArt)annualexhibitionheld atthe
NavyPierinChicago.Thiswashisfirst
formalventureintotheworldof
establishedartists.Jackbroughtalong
his portfolio-asmallalbumof
photographs ofhis sculptures-anda
handfulofbusinesscards.The
interaction
betweenJackandtheother
artistswasparticularlyinterestingto
watch.Jackwasnaturally drawnto the
weldedsculpturesand
large-scale
multi-media assemblages.Heshowed
nohesitationinaskingtheartistsabout
theirideas,materials, andprocesses.In
almosteverycase,theartistswere
reservedatfirst,untilJackshowed
themhis albumandtalkedabouthis
ownwork.Theinteraction fromthat
pointon was one of mutual
encouragement, regardandinterest,
whilesharinginformation andideas.
Jack is his own perpetualmotion
one-manshow.Hedisplayshis
creationsprimarily athisformergas
stationturnedartist'sstudiointhe
otherwisequietlittletownofEssex,
Illinois.Essexis a ruralcommunity
about50milessouthwestofChicago,
witha population ofabout500.The
peoplewholivein Essexknoweach
JANUARY 1999 / ART EDUCATION
N
otherwell.They have grown
accustomedto the expanding
populationof Jack'scolorfulcreations.
His neighborshave become used to the
attentionof the visitors,who have given
validityto his creativeendeavors.Jack
loves to talkabouthow people once
thoughthe had "takenleave of his
senses." His property,locatedon the
edge of town,is unusual,with its heaps
of rustingjunk (rawmaterials)piled
amidstthe brightlypainted
constructions.Althoughnot
representedby any artdealers or
galleries,Jackhas been writtenabout
in severallocal and regional
newspapers,includingthe Chicago
Tribune.
Jack'sreputationas a local
phenomenonhas not gone unnoticed
by artteachersin the area.One art
teachercontactedhim to arrangea field
tripto his studioforher artclasses. Jack
was workingon a 5' tallsculptureof
Popeye.He thoughtit mightbe fun to
involvethe artstudentsin makingtheir
ownversions of Popeye,using recycled
materials.Three weeks later,125 sixth
grade studentsarrivedwiththeir
Popeye sculpturesin hand.
Jackspent the day discussing,
demonstrating,and critiquingtheir
work.WithJack'sencouragement,
studentstalkedabouttheir own
constructions,manyof which had been
collaborativecreations.Jacktalked
abouthis own workwhile using collaborativework of the entiregroup, the mainstreamworldof art (Nassie,
unpaintedandunassembledpartsin includingJack. 1987;Rosenak& Rosenak,1984).
the constructionof his version of Because folk artistsare often
Popeye, in orderto demonstratethe FOLKART, ARTISTS, AND ART discoveredlate in theirlives, Nassie
process of lookingfor desirableshapes EDUCATION argues, their artrevealsa mature,
andformsin manifolds,housings, Folk artis generallythought of as an cohesive, distinctlyevolved sense of
pipes, and cans. As Jackandthese unusualarrayof artforms createdout style thatis characterizedby a natural
young artstudentsexploredvarying of ordinarymaterialsby self-trained unselfconsciousgrace. Nassie (1987)
ways of puttingselected partstogether, artists (Crate,1984;Maizels, 1996; also observes thatfolk artistsdo not
PopeyetheSailorbecame the Rosenak& Rosenak,1984).Folk artists necessarilyidentifythe term "art"as
frequentlybegin theircreative
endeavorlaterin life andwork outside

ART
_ EDUCATION / JANUARY 1999
whattheydo.Fewregularly visitart
museums.Maizels(1996)notesthat
mostfolkartistsaredeeplyconnected
withtheircommunities, andtheirsocial
standing is enhanced bytheirartistic
activities.Maizelsbelieves,contraryto
Nassie,that contemporary American
folkartistsareoftenfullyawarethat
theyareproducingart,andthatthey
willdowhattheycanto sellit.
Sometruthis foundin allofthese
observations.Folkartists,indeed,are
farremovedfromthe arcaneandelite
worldofaestheticians,academics,
society-brokers,andarteducators.
FolkartistslikeJackBarkerare
concernedinsteadwiththe subtle
nuancesofwood,metal,paint,orfabric.
Jackconceptualizes his artintermsof
theinterplay ofcontentwithshape,
color,andrawmaterials. Heconsiders
wherethemostdesirablematerials
maybe foundforhis nextcreations.
Jack'sartultimately is theartofusing
availablematerialsandrecycling.As
withmostfolkartists,he is anintegral
partofhis community.Hisfamilyties
to Essexgo backtwogenerations. Heis
wellknownamongyoungandold.A
cadreoffriends,family,andstrangers
ofallagesvisithimfrequently athis
his
studioto observe latestcreations
andcommentonhis increasing
notoriety.Finally,Jackis his own
agent,marketing hisworkthrough
callingcards,participation inflea
marketsandparades,andthe signage
thatadvertiseshis creationsathisgas
station-turned-studio.
Nassie(1987)notesthatfolkartists
presenta challengeto ourperceptions
ofwhatartshouldbe.ButNassiealso
maintains thattheaestheticdecision-
makingprocessoffolkartistscanbe
quitesophisticated. Indeed,a cursory
viewingofJackBarker'sartleavesone
withrespectforhisfluencywithawide
varietyofmediaandtechnical
processesandanawarenessofhis
naturalfinessewithcomposition. From
anencounterwithfolkartistslikeJack,
we gaina deeplyrewarding
appreciation ofa highlyevolvednotion
offormandmaterial, coupledwitha
whimsicalsenseofhumor.The
imaginative andoftenamusingworkof
folkartists,unlikemuchof20thcentury
andcontemporary art,leavesthe
feelingprettygood.
Thecurrentestablishment offolk
artandthegrowingnumbersofhigh
JANUARY 1999 / ART EDUCATION
qualitycollections,museum
exhibitions,folkartgalleries,and
scholarlypublications is evidenceofa
changing aestheticinAmerica. Earlyin
thiscentury,AmericanandEuropean
artistsvalued,collected,andexhibited
folkandindigenousartas a meansof
establishinganemergingmodernist
doctrineforart.Duringthistime
museumcuratorsandhistorians
occasionally displayedfolkartas
primitivecraftwork anddecorative
objects(Curry,1987).Over
utilitarian
the decadesgenuinerespectand
admiration forAmerican folkarthas
increasedamongartists,museum
curators,andscholars.American folk
artis nowviewedas animportant form
ofAmericanart.
WHYSTUDYFOLKARTINTHE
ARTROOM?
Folkartistsandfolkartoffer
studentsfun,interesting, and
meaningful contentforclassroom
study.Folkarttranscendsabstracted
formalized forboth
intellectualizations,
makerandviewer,andreachesoutto
thepublicacrossaesthetic,ideological,
ethnic,andpoliticalboundaries.
Changingandcontradictory definitions
offolkartinviteexploration.Historical
andbiographical accountsofthelives
offolkartistsgiveriseto richnewfields
ofinquiry,includingbutnotlimitedto
folklore(Congdon,1987,1991).These
accountsalsoraisemoralquestions
abouttheartandcultureindustry,and
reflecta growingawarenessof
problemsconfronting folkartistswhen
theyencountereffectsofexploitation
andmarketing(Manley,1991;Maizels,
ART EDUCATION/ JANUARY1999
1996).Folkloristaccounts'ofthelives
offolkartistsoffervaluablebackground
to enrichstudents'understanding and
enjoyment of folkart. Ethical questions
aboutartworldexploitation offolk
artistsdemandscrutinyanddiscussion
by students.
Theimportance offirst-hand
dialogue between studentsandlocal
folkartists,as exemplified byJack's
extraordinary interaction and
collaboration with125sixthgraders,
cannotbe underestimated. Folkartists
likeJackareparticularly to
attractive
arteducatorsbecausetheyexemplify
dispositions thatartteachershopeto
fosterintheirownstudents:a creative
andinquisitive spirit,a thirstfor
knowledgeaboutmaterialsand
processes,andagenerousdesireto
sharetheirwork.Finally,they
representthebeliefthatanyonewho
wantstobecomeanartistcandoso,
andto engageinthisprocessof
artmaking canbe deeplysatisfying.
Folkartistsmergedistinctions between
artandcraft,betweenfineartand
popularart,betweenhighartandlow
art.Folkartistsofferanartthatanyone
whowishesto doso canappreciate.
Folkartistsfindpotentialmeaningand
pleasureintherefuseofmaterial
culture,andrecyclethesediscarded
itemsintoworksofartforourpersonal
or
delight,spiritualenlightenment,
education.Thelessonsoftheirwork
aremany,whileatthe sametimethey
extendthepleasureofsimplyenjoying
theirwork.Maizels(1996)maintains
thatas childrenwe areallartists,butas
we grow,thecreativeimpetuswithinus
dies.Forthefolkartistthissparkofour
youthdoesnotfade.
Elizabeth ManleyDelacruzis an
associateprofessorofArtEducationand
Women's Studiesat theUniversity
of
Illinois,Urbana-Champaign.
REFERENCES
Cardinal,R (1993).A Europeananthology.
InDriventocreate:TheAnthonyPetullo
collectionofself-taught
&outsiderart.(pp.
11-18).Milwaukee:MilwaukeeArt
Museum.
Congdon,K (1987)Towarda theoretical
approachto teachingfolkart:A definition.
StudiesinArtEducation,28(2), 96-104.
Congdon,K (1991).Artworlds,
environmental images,andarteducation:
Afolkartfocus.JournalofMulticultural
and Cross-Cultural ResearchinArt
Education,9(1), 65-72.
Crate,B. (1984) Folkartcomes of age. InC.
Rosenak,&J. Rosenak(Eds.)Museumof
AmericanFolkArtencyclopedia of
twentieth-centuryAmerican folkartand
artists(pp.13-16).NewYork:Abbeyville
Press.
Maizels,J. (1996).Rawcreation:Outsiderart
andbeyond.London:PhaidonPress.
Manley,R. (1991) Separatingthe folkfrom
theirart. NewArtExaminer,9, 25-28.
Nassie,A. (1987).Aspectsofvisionaryart. In
H. Mhire(Dir.)Bakingin thesun:
Visionary imagesfromtheSouth(pp.8-27).
Exhibitionof selectionsfromthe collection
of SylviaandWarrenLowe. Lafayette,LA:
UniversityArtMuseum,Universityof
SouthwesternLouisiana.
Rosenak,C.,& Rosenak,J. (1984).Museumof
Americanfolkartencyclopedia oftwentieth-
centuryAmerican folkartandartists.New
York:AbbeyvillePress.