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Art in Everyday Life by Dr. Michael Ann Williams, Western Kentucky Unviersity
What is art? Many of us think of it as something we frame and put on the wall or go to see in a museum. But we are all artists in our everyday lives. We express our creativity and we shape our environments into forms that are interesting or pleasing to our eyes. Our art forms are our houses and gardens; the foods we eat; the items we use in work and play, or to get from one place to another; our clothes; and even our own bodies.
We have similar preconceptions about folk art. Some think of it as quaint
or country; others apply the label to art forms which are odd or eccentric.
However, in its broadest sense, folk art is the art produced by everyday
people in their everyday life. Not that folk art does not take special skills
or talents; we are not all quilters or wood carvers, anymore than we are
all fiddlers or banjo players. Folk artists may not go to art school, but
many undergo traditional apprenticeships to learn and refine their skills.
However, some of these apprenticeships may be quite informal. We might learn
to plant a pleasing garden by watching or talking to our neighbors, or learn
to make a beautiful pie from our grandmother.
For example, some people distinguish between art and craft, thinking that
"art" should be for art's sake. However, just because an item
has a practical function does not make it less artistic. Function does not
limit the folk artist. In fact, it challenges the creativity of the artist
to produce something that works correctly and is also pleasing in form or
design. The relative importance of function and beauty in any particular
type of folk art may change over time, and it may be as much in the eye
of the beholder as it is in the mind of the artist. Some older Kentucky
basket makers may remember a time when baskets were thought of primarily
in terms of the function they fulfilled; old baskets used in agriculture
might even be left in the field to rot. Automobiles and new roads brought
tourists to some parts of the state and baskets became souvenirs rather
than simply farm items. Finally, as more and more people appreciated the
skill and form of handmade baskets, as well as the traditions behind them,
baskets became an art form to be admired visually.
When did baskets become art? When the buyers began to think of them that way? Or when the maker began thinking of them as such? Or was the art always there?
"Necessity is the mother of invention," some say. One of the beauties of folk art is that often it does provide for the basic necessities and still can be a thing of beauty. Some people might remember a time when rural Kentuckians of limited means papered the insides of their houses with pages from newspapers or mail order catalogs. The paper insulated the house and kept the wind from whistling through the walls of a single wall "boxed" house. But many a housewife took pride in the artistic arrangement of the pictures and text, and was satisfied with how "clean" the house looked when it was finished. Some people who grew up in these houses remember playing games of reading the walls of the house.
The act of recycling was also part of the beauty of this decoration, as it is in many other folk arts. Part of the pleasure of a patchwork quilt or a rag rug is in making something beautiful out of materials that would otherwise be discarded. We find flower planters made out of old tires; bird feeders made of plastic bottles. Sometimes we find humor in the new associations. Other times we find memories. The retired farmer who makes rocking chairs out of old tobacco sticks is not just being frugal; he is also making an emotional connection with his life's work.
Not all of us, of course, think of the same things as artistic or beautiful. Sometimes it is a matter of individual taste. Our artistic preferences are also shaped by our occupation, our ethnicity or cultural background, even our age. Certain current practices in body adornment, such as piercing or tattooing, may be beautiful to members of a certain age group (as well as particular occupational or ethnic groups) but may well seem repulsive to others. Our artistic preferences are also shaped by our knowledge of the craft. To many people, most white oak baskets may look more or less the same; a skilled basket maker, however, may quickly identify the work of a specific individual. Similarly, to most of us, a jar of pickles may look like any other; but to the judge at the county fair who visually inspects (but does not necessarily taste) each jar, one is clearly the prize winner.
Some folk arts are thought to be traditional to Kentucky; they have been around for a long time. However, others of equal age may have simply not been labeled as such. The breeders of hound dogs or the canners of peaches may have standards of form and beauty, but they are less likely to be labeled artists than the quilter or dough bowl carver. We are usually most comfortable calling functional items "art" if they have equivalents in the art one finds in a gallery. A dough bowl can be admired as a piece of sculpture. The quilt can be hung on the wall as if it were a painting. But the farmer who looks over a mown field may also experience artistic pleasure, whether or not he would dare call himself an artist. The woman who prides herself on her basement full of canned produce takes joy not only in the industry and self sufficiency the jars lined up on shelves represent, but also in their sheer visual beauty.
As our lives change, so do our folk artists. Kentucky still has a few traditional boat builders, but it also has artists who customize their cars and motorcycles or decorate their recreational vehicles. We can appreciate the old (and sometimes endangered) skills and still recognize the new forms emerging everyday. Traditional arts from other places can also take root in Kentucky. As Kentucky becomes more multicultural, so do its arts. The Indian sand painter or the Cambodian needleworker may also be a Kentucky folk artist. As we celebrate the art of Kentucky, we can embrace its diversity. We can admire the specialized skills of a few and rejoice in the artist within all of us. We may concern ourselves with the preservation of arts with long traditions within our state and find pleasure in those born of our modern society. We can celebrate the old and welcome the new.
