Backyard Visionaries - Grassroots Art in the Midwest (Hardcover, New)

Grassroots art (sometimes referred to as "outsider art") has been variously described as "eccentric," "unschooled," "self-taught," "primitive," and "raw." Such art is characterized by the use of common, unconventional, or castoff materials; hodge-podge styles; ambitious scale; whimsical expression; and a creative impulse concerned more with the artist's own pleasure than with the critical reception of the work itself.

The authors here focus on examples of grassroots art environments-which include sculptures, paintings, and assemblages-in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma. They reveal the special character and unexpected delights of works like Samuel P. Dinsmoor's world-famous "Garden of Eden"; Claude Melton's quirky "Nativity Rock Museum"; Ed Galloway's fabulous six-story "Totem Pole" honoring Native Americans; and Dave Woods's idiosyncratic creations refashioned from "junk that most people would haul to the dump."

Written by members of the Kansas Grassroots Art Association-the oldest organization in the country dedicated to preserving such sites-Backyard Visionaries describes the authors' personal experiences of the artists and their work as well as the artists' cultural contexts and influences. More than 150 photographs-many in color-capture their unusual creations, and a chapter on preservation tells how we can help maintain them. All in all, this is a fascinating tribute to a group of artists that we are only just beginning to understand and appreciate.

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