What is the Folk Art Society?

The Folk Art Society of America, founded in 1987, has become a dynamic, non-profit organization which advocates the discovery, study, documentation, preservation and exhibition of folk art, folk artists and folk art environments. Artists, educators, historians, writers, collectors, dealers, curators, museums, libraries and art enthusiasts from across the United States and around the world join together to share a common bond of interest in self-taught art and the unique individuals involved in its creation. You can become a part of this network of individuals and organizations who actively support the work of folk, self-taught and outsider artists by joining the Folk Art Society of America.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

• Subscription to FASA's journal, the Folk Art Messenger.
• Advance registration for the Folk Art Society's annual conference.
• Use of the Folk Art Society's research library.
• Discounts on folk art books and other merchandise.
• Invitations to art openings, lectures, excursions and exhibitions.
• Opportunities to meet folk artists.
  
  

THE FOLK ART MESSENGER is a publication featuring articles about self-taught artists, exhibition and book reviews, news, an international calendar of events, and much more.

The Folk Art Society holds its annual CONFERENCE in a different city each year. Attendees have the opportunity to meet experts in the field as well as artists and other members of similar interests. Conference highlights include viewing museum exhibitions, touring regional folk art environments and private collections, visiting galleries and purchasing works of art at the annual benefit auction. Past conferences have been held in Richmond, Chicago, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, Milwaukee, Houston, Lexington (Ky.), San Diego, Richmond, Savannah, St. Louis and Oakland. The next conference will be held in Washington, DC, September 25-28, 2008.

The Folk Art Society's research library of books, exhibition catalogues, videotapes, slides, photographs and primary source materials continues to grow, serving as a repository for important scholarship and information about individual artists and the field of self-taught art as a whole. We welcome contributions of materials.

In addition, the Folk Art Society has created Project SAFE (Save Art and Folk Environments), involving community preservation efforts. Rev. Anderson Johnson's Faith Mission in Newport News, Va., is an example where community awareness was raised and Johnson's murals were saved.