Book Review
American Folk Art For Kids is a combination fun/learning tool for
children, teachers and adults alike. In the foreward by William
C. Ketchum Jr, it is mentioned that there are many books on the
market about Folk Art but none geared towards children until now.
American Folk Art for Kids is not only teaching us about folk art
but the artists behind certain styles and the times in which they
lived and created their art. We learn about where folk art began
and how it has evolved around the world in the chapter The Origins
of Folk Art which is divided into the sections; Art in Civilization,
Folk Art Emerges, The Geography of Folk Art and American Folk Art.
It is not only the facts about folk art that are important, it
is also the stories behind the traditions that are fascinating.
Throughout the book there are mini-articles containing interesting
background information. Some of the topics of these mini-articles
are; The Hobby of Folk Art, Name that Painting, What Makes It a
Good Painting?, Grandma Moses, How Old Is It?, Folk Art and Tradition,
Preserving Folk Art, Folk or Fake?, The Mennonites and the Amish,
How Do You Know if It Is American?, Recycled Fun, Mr. Imagination
(an artist who wrote one of the forewords in this book), Where Can
Folk Art Be Found?, and Folk Art by Kids. Accompanying many of these
mini-articles as well as the portions of the chapters in this book
are photos of pieces of folk art (i.e. paintings, drawings, silhouettes,
manuscripts, certificates, furniture, stencil and hex designs, stoneware,
stamps, dishware, paper cutouts, samplers, baskets, costumes, knitting
and crochet, lace, embroidery and needlepoint, hooked rugs, quilts,
rag dolls, a carved walking stick, gravestone folk art, decoys,
wood carvings, model making, pyrography, scrimshaw (decorative carving
of animal teeth and bones), weather vanes and whirligigs, games
and toys, coin art, trench art (a vase made from a WWI shell), a
decoupage bowl and building signs).
The 21 activities included in American Folk Art For Kids are divided
into seven categories; Folk Painting and Drawing, The Decorative
Arts, Fabric Sewn and Stitched, Chiseled, Carved and Hammered, Found
Objects and Scraps and Public Folk Art which are also the main chapters
of this book. Along with each activity there is an introduction
about the origins of that style of folk art and a brief explanation
of the technique involved. That is what I like about this book,
every part of it has something to teach you about the history of
folk art. Even while you are having fun doing the activities you
are learning. We are learning not only the facts but the stories
and the heart of folk art through the personal backgrounds of the
artists. This was such a great book, I could have written so much
more but I don't want to give it all away! |
