25 Years of Folk Art Society Conferences
#1: 1988 - Richmond, Va.
- Chairman: John Morgan and Ann Oppenhimer
- Speaker: Herbert W. Hemphill Jr.
- Exhibition: Folk Art Jubilation: Eleven Folk Artists from Virginia, North Carolina & West Va.
- Notable: 450 people attended the opening. A $6,000 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts gave the Folk Art Society its financial start.
#2: 1989 - Waverly, Va.
- Chairman: Shirley Yancey and Chris Gregson
- Speakers: Chris Gregson, Barry Cohen, Nancy Karlins Thoman, Bruce Koplin
- Exhibition: 100 Miles: The 100th Anniversary of Miles Carpenter’s Birth
- Notable: Held at Miles Carpenter’s Home, a museum now designated a folk art site by FASA.
#3: 1990 - Washington, D.C.
- Chairmen: Chris Gregson and Patricia Lorenz
- Speaker: Elaine Elf
- Exhibition: Made with Passion: the Hemphill Folk Art Collection at National Museum of American Art (NMAA)
- Award of Distinction: Herbert W. Hemphill Jr.
- Notable: Held in conjunction with NMAA Symposium on the Hemphill Collection, with Jon Serl, guest artist.
#4: 1991 - Chicago, Ill.
- Chairmen: Jim Arient and Robert Vogele
- Speakers: Russell Bowman; Panel of Mr. Imagination, Prophet Blackmon, Derek Webster and David Philpot, moderated by Frank Lewis
- Exhibition: Personal Voice: Outsider Art and Signature Style
- Award of Distinction: Robert Bishop (posthumously)
- Notable: A raffle was the predecessor of the FASA auction in following years.
#5: 1992 - Los Angeles, Calif.
- Chairman: John Turner
- Speakers: Willem Volkersz, Bud Goldstone (Watts Towers), Seymour Rosen (SPACES), Allie Light and Irvin Saraf (Light/Saraf Films), Gregg Blasdel, Barbara Brackman (Kansas Grassroots Art Association), Janice Wilson (Bottle Village)
- Exhibition: Parallel Visions: Modern Artists and Outsider Art at LA Co. Museum of Art
- Award of Distinction: Seymour Rosen
- Notable: Visits to Watts Towers, Bottle Village (both designated National Folk Art Sites), Gene Autry Museum of Western Art
#6: 1993 - New Orleans, La.
- Chairmen: Alice Yelen, Kurt Gitter, Warren and Sylvia Lowe
- Speakers: 15-hour symposium produced by New Orleans Museum of Art
- Exhibition: Passionate Visions of the American South at New Orleans Museum of Art
- Award of Distinction: Minnie Adkins
- Notable: FASA’s first auction, held in Lafayette, La., with music by Grammy-Award-Winning D. L. Menard’s Cajun Band.
#7: 1994 - Santa Fe, N. M.
- Chairmen: Chuck and Jan Rosenak
- Speakers: Jane Connell, Genevieve Roulin (Collection de l’Art Brut), Panel of Leroy Archuleta, Nicholas Herrera, Christine McHorse, Ted Coe, Stuart Ashman and Moderator JoAnne Balzer
- Exhibition: Diversity of Expression: New Mexico Folk Art at N. M. Capitol.
- Awards of Distinction: Warren and Sylvia Lowe, Felipe (posthumously) and Leroy Archuleta
- Notable: Elijah Piece exhibition at Museum of International Folk Art.
#8: 1995 - Atlanta, Ga.
- Chairmen: Marshall Hahn and Randy Siegel
- Speakers: Joanne Cubbs, Lynda Hartigan, Lonnie Holley and Richard Powell (Duke University)
- Exhibition: Dust Tracks on a Road: Four Southern Artists at High Museum of Art
- Awards of Distinction: Ned Cartledge, Chuck and Jan Rosenak
- Notable: Gospel brunch at Mary Mac’s Tea Room
#9: 1996 - Birmingham, Ala.
- Chairman: Georgine Clarke
- Speakers: Gerard Wertkin, Rebecca Hoffberger, Gail Trechsel
- Exhibition: Kentuck Festival of the Arts
- Awards of Distinction: Gerard Wertkin, Clyde Jones
- Notable: Howard Finster, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Charlie Lucas and many other artists displayed their art at Kentuck.
#10: 1997 - Milwaukee, Wis.
- Chairman: Russell Bowman
- Speakers: Michael Hall, Russell Bowman, Jeffrey Hayes, Lisa Stone, Tony Rajer, Lynne Browne
- Exhibition: The Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum; Personal Vision: Self-Taught Art from the Ruth & Robert Vogele Collection
- Awards of Distinction: Mr. Imagination, Flo and Jules Laffal
- Notable: Purvis Young sketching in the hotel lobby.
#11: 1998 - Houston, Tex.
- Chairmen: John and Stephanie Smither, Susanne Theis
- Speakers: Lynne Adele, Alvia Wardlaw, Hector Benavides, Carl Dixon, David Strickland, Murray Smither, Bruce & Julie Webb
- Exhibitions: Charles Dellschau at Menil Collection; Orange Show
- Awards of Distinction: Rev. Johnnie Hunter, Marilyn Oshman, Lynda Hartigan
- 1st Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Hector Benavides drawing given to University of Texas at Austin.
- Notable: Auction raised more than $35,000, held at Marilyn Oshman’s home.
#12: 1999 - Lexington/Morehead, Ky.
- Chairman: Dick Wenstrup
- Speakers: Gerard Wertkin; musicologists John Harrod and Alan Jabbour
- Exhibition: An Eden of Their Own: Charlie, Noah and Hazel Kinney at Kentucky Folk Art Center
- Awards of Distinction: Linvel and Lillian Barker (posthumously); Alan Jabbour
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Tim Lewis sculpture to Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts
- Notable: Square dancing to John Harrod’s band with fiddler Alan Jabbour sitting in.
#13: 2000 - San Diego, Calif.
- Chairman: Larry Kent
- Speakers: Grace Johnson, Larry Kent, Janet Brody Esser, Rick Bell, Bud Goldstone
- Exhibition: Mingei International Museum
- Awards of Distinction: Bud Goldstone and Ted Gordon
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: 2 Ted Gordon drawings to Oakland Museum of California
- Notable: Visit to Salvation Mountain, designated a National Folk Art Site.
#14: 2001 - Richmond, Va.
- Chairmen: Tom and Donna Brumfield
- Speakers: Johnson Bowles, Babatunde Lawal, Jeffrey Hayes
- Exhibition: Point of View: Folk Art from the William and Ann Oppenhimer Collection at University of Richmond; Personal Recollection: FASA Members’ Collections at Meadow Farm Museum
- Awards of Distinction: Peggy Baggett (VCA); Shirley Yancey, Tony Rajer, Georgia Blizzard
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Georgia Blizzard sculpture given to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Williamsburg, Va.
- Notable: Exactly one month after 9/11, Seventeen New Yorkers attended
#15: 2002 - Savannah, Ga.
- Chairman: Joe Adams
- Speakers: Carroll Greene, Judith McWillie, Gary Fine
- Exhibitions: Ulysses Davis at the Beach Institute
- Awards of Distinction: Betty-Carol Sellen, John Smither (posthumously) & Stephanie Smither, Lorenzo Scott
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Lorenzo Scott “Christ on the Cross” to Morris Museum; “Empty Road” by Howard Finster to Columbus Museum of Art.
- Notable: Visit to Gullah Settlement, St. Helena
#16: 2003 - St. Louis, Mo.
- Chairman: John Foster
- Speakers: Maude Southwell Wahlman, John Foster, Terry Nowell, Ken Anderson
- Exhibition: Joseph Garlock Paintings
- Awards of Distinction: Maude S. Wahlman, Ralph Lanning
- Hemphill At Purchase Award: “Thor” by Ralph Lanning to Springfield Art Museum
- Notable: Visit to the Pulitzer Museum and St. Louis Museum of Art
#17: 2004 - Oakland, Calif.
- Chairmen: Tom di Maria and Ann Oppenhimer
- Speakers: Robert Adkins, Katherine Sherwood, Stephen Walrod, Thomas Roske, Lucienne Peiry, John Killacky, Philip Linares, Cheryl Rivers, John Perreault, Frank Maresca, Bonnie Grossman, Phyllis Kind.
- Exhibition: Creative Growth Artists
Awards of Distinction: Irene Brydon, Artists of Creative Growth, John Foster, Lee Kogan
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Sculpture by Judith Scott to Oakland Museum of California
- Notable: Visits to Oakland Museum, NIAD, Creativity Explored and Clayton Bailey’s Environment
#18: 2005 - Chicago
- Chairman: Bill Glennon
- Speakers: Connie Gibbons, Russell Bowman, Lisa Stone, Michael Noland
- Exhibition: Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art
- Awards of Distinction: Russell Bowman and Stanley Szwarc
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Big Blue Rooster” by Minnie Adkins and Herman Peters to Benedictine University.
- Notable: Visits to studios of Stanley Szwarc, Matt Lamb and Michael Noland.
#19: 2006 - Phoenix
- Chairman: Caralee Allsworth
- Speakers: Tricia Loscher, Ron Gasowski, Stephen Vollmer
- Exhibitions: Heard Museum and Tucson Museum of Art
- Awards of Distinction: Nicholas Herrera and Peter Cecere
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Trucking Through Perdition” by Nicholas Herrera to Arizona State University (with assistance of Herrera and Cline Fine Art)
- Notable: Visit to Guadalupe Cemetery of the Yaqui Nation, Tempe, Ariz.
#20: 2007 - Louisville, Ky.
- Chairman: Bill Glennon
- Speakers: Mary Bryan Hood, Kevin O’Brien, Matt Collinsworth, Scott Scarboro
- Exhibitions: Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
- Awards of Distinction: Mary Bryan Hood, Tim Lewis, Marvin Finn (posthumously) and Bill Glennon
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Adam and Eve” by Tim Lewis to Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.
- Notable: Visit to Mohammad Ali Center and Louisville Slugger Factory. Nek Chand’s Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, designated as an International Folk Art Site.
#21: 2008 - Washington, D. C.
- Chairman: Betty-Carol Sellen
- Speakers: Liza Kirwin, Virginia Mecklenburg, William Christenberry
- Exhibition: Smithsonian American Art Museum’s folk art collection
- Awards of Distinction: Malcah Zeldis and Rebecca Hoffberger
- Hemphill Art Purchase Awards: Devil Face Jug by Albert Hodge to SAAM; Malcah Zeldis painting and David Zeldis drawing to American Visionary Art Museum; Finster serigraph to Longwood University from Thomas Scanlin
- Notable: Visits to AVAM, National Museum of the American Indian
#22: 2009 - St. Petersburg, Fla.
- Chairmen: Tom and Donna Brumfield, assisted by Ted and Jean Weiller and Randall Lott and Nancy McCall.
- Speakers:Jennifer Hardin, Gary Monroe and Susan Crawley
- Exhibition: Florida Collects at Museum of Fine Art, St. Petersburg
- Awards of Distinction: Tom and Donna Brumfield, Lynne Browne, Randall Lott, Nancy McCall, Jack Beverland, Ruby Williams and Purvis Young
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “I Will Climb This Mountain” by Ruby Williams to Museum of Fine Art, St. Petersburg
- Notable: Visits to Tampa and Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fla.
#23: 2010 - Santa Fe, N. M.
- Chairman: Deborah Quirk
- Speakers: Andrea Fisher; Margarete Bagshaw; Panel of Nicholas Herrera, Arthur Lopez, Marie Romero Cash; Moderated by Kirk Ellis.
- Exhibition: Museum of International Folk Art permanent collection
- Awards of Distinction: Marcia Muth, Sabinita Ortiz, Susan Crawley
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Tree of Life” by Sabinita Ortiz to Longwood University
- Notable: Visit to Taos Pueblo cancelled by Taos tribal event
#24: 2011 - Richmond, Va.
- Chairmen: Ann Oppenhimer and Johnson Bowles
- Speakers: Richard Guy Wilson; Panel of Eldridge Bagley, J. J. Cromer, Mildred “Gentle Rain” Moore, moderated by Leisa Rundquist
- Exhibition: Three-Ring Circus: William and Ann Oppenhimer Folk Art Collection at Longwood University
- Awards of Distinction: Kathy Johnson Bowles, Ray Kass, Eldridge Bagley
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Drawing by J. J. Cromer to University of Richmond; Finster serigraph from Thomas Scanlin to Old Dominion University
- Notable: Visits to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia State Capitol and Monticello
#25: 2012 - Atlanta, Ga.
- Chairmen: Susan Crawley, Lynne and Jim Browne
- Speakers: John Burrison; Dale Couch; “Future of Paradise Garden,” Panel with Janet Byington, Jordan Poole, Thomas Scanlin; Moderated by Margaret Browne
- Exhibitions: High Museum of Art Folk Art Collection
- Awards of Distinction: William Arnett, Thornton Dial Sr., Georgine Clarke (posthumously)
- Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Guitar Man” by Mr. Imagination, jointly with Lynne and Jim Browne to High Museum of Art; Finster serigraph from Thomas Scanlin to Georgia Museum of Art
- National Folk Art Sites Designated: Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden
- Notable: Visits to Dahlonega, Athens (Georgia Museum of Art), Gainesville and Madison, Ga.
