NEW YORK (AP) – From simple geometric shapes to the intricately wrought details of daily life, the quilt designs in a show now running at the American Folk Art Museum show how powerfully this art form has told stories for centuries and been a vehicle for creativity.
American Folk Art Museum to add major donors’ names to director/CEO’s title
NEW YORK (AP) – The American Folk Art Museum, unlike many other arts institutions, managed to avoid layoffs and other cutbacks in the two years after the pandemic through a mix of fundraisers and increased donor contributions. On June 28, the museum planned to announce its largest and most unusual recent gift – a $5 million donation from Arkansas-based arts supporters Becky and Bob Alexander to help fund the museum’s exhibition program and its operation as one of New York City’s few free museums. In honor of the Alexanders’ donation, they will receive naming rights to the museum CEO’s job title, which will become the Becky and Bob Alexander Director & CEO of the American Folk Art Museum.
AFAM unveils landmark exhibit of American weathervanes
NEW YORK – American Weathervanes: The Art of The Winds will be on view at the American Folk Art Museum from June 23 through January 2, 2022. The comprehensive exhibition is the first in more than four decades to highlight the beauty, technical virtuosity, and cultural significance of American vanes fashioned between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. A full-color, illustrated, 256-page hardcover book, written by Robert Shaw and published by Rizzoli Electa in association with the American Folk Art Museum, accompanies the exhibition. The exhibition is organized by Robert Shaw, guest curator, and Emelie Gevalt, the Museum’s Curator of Folk Art.