American Folk Art: A Regional Reference

Gr 7 Up—Expanding the scope of Gerard C. Wertkin's Encyclopedia of American Folk Art (Routledge, 2004) in a major way, the coauthors profile approximately 300 20th- and 21st-century folk artists at length. For each of the five regional chapters, they provide an extensive overview of the area's historical background, populations, and distinctive cultures and traditions. Though some of the artists selected, such as Grandma Moses and Simon Rodia (the Watts Towers), have earned widespread recognition, most are unknown outside limited circles or localities. Among the several lists of contents that open each volume, the one grouping artists by their characteristic medium (from "Basket Maker" to "Boatbuilder" and from "Egg Painter" to "Horsehair Hitcher") is particularly valuable for highlighting folk art's amazing range of materials. The inventive uses to which those media have been put comes through clearly in the generous arrays of large black-and-white photos that accompany many entries. For serious students, the authors provide detailed information about their subjects' lives, works, and critical receptions and offer comprehensive multimedia resource lists throughout. However, even readers with little or no interest in folk art will find it hard to page past lines such as, "Through divine inspiration, Jesse James Aaron used a chainsaw to create images of animals and people in wood" and "Ray Masterson embroiders small images of news events, drug buys, sports figures, and other famous people, and scenes from everyday life." A narrowly focused but significant addition to both academic and public library reference collections.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City