What is a self-taught genius? During the post-Revolutionary era in the newly formed United States this characterization took on profound dimensions that were pivotal to the development of a start-up nation conceived on an experimental model: all of the nation's citizens were self-taught Americans. Self-Taught Genius, comprising more than one hundred works of art from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum, considers the changing implications of "self-taught" in the United States, from a deeply entrenched and widespread culture of self-education in the early national period to its usage today to describe artists working outside the art historical canon. The exhibition frames the continuum of American folk art through the concept of "self-taught" genius," an enduring term that, like the artworks themselves, has changed dramatically over time: the early American folk art we so admire today was made by the self-taught artists of the past. Art history has long been challenged by the role of self-taught artists. In the modern era these individuals, who defy our understanding of what is "normal," have yet managed establish lively artistic traditions and influence younger generations of artists. Self-taught artists are not perceived as threats to American cultural values but rather as guardians of those basic national values. Their art, past and present, blurs frontiers between disciplines, makes definitions look constricted, and forces us to reconsider our assumptions about authoritative systems.

Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum

Stacy C. Hollander

Valérie Rousseau

Arts & Photography

American Folk Art Museum

Enigmatic, evocative, and often simply strange, the iconic art and objects showcased in Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection relate the beauty of fraternal teachings through a potent combination of highly charged imagery, esoteric forms, and symbolic meaning. The exhibition and fully illustrated publication explore the fascinating visual landscape of fraternal culture through almost two hundred works of art from the late eighteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, comprising a major gift to the museum from Kendra and Allan Daniel. By Stacy C. Hollander and Aimee E. Newell; Foreword by Anne-Imelda Radice; Collector's statement by Allan Daniel. Principal photography by José Andrés Ramírez. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2016. 240 pages, 8 1/4 x 10 inches.

Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection

Aimee E. Newell

Humanity demands that no life should pass without some recognition, whether it is a marked grave, a painted posthumous portrait, or a postmortem photograph. This is the catalog for the homonymous exhibition: Securing the Shadow: Posthumous Portraiture in America, the first major museum exhibition dedicated to an examination of American self-taught portraiture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the lens of memory and loss.
Features a foreword by Anne-Imelda Radice, Executive Director of the American Folk Art Museum, and two curatorial essays by Stacy C. Hollander, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Chief Curator, and Director of Exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum; and Gary Laderman, Goodrich C. White Professor of Religion at Emory University. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2016. Softcover with full flaps; one foldout page. 238 pages, 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches.

Securing the Shadow: Posthumous Portraiture in America

Gary Laderman

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stacy C. Hollander. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stacy C. Hollander

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stacy C. Hollander. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum

Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection

Securing the Shadow: Posthumous Portraiture in America