{"product_id":"backyard-visionaries-grassroots-art-in-the-midwest-9780700609048","title":"Backyard Visionaries: Grassroots Art in the Midwest","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the front page of the New York Times Book Review  artist Red Grooms once exclaimed that grassroots artists \"are so interesting I can scarcely keep them out of my dreamsvisionaries who turned their visions into art on a grand scale even though they had no training in art.\" In this lavishly illustrated volume  the authors illuminate and celebrate these \"backyard visionaries\" and the remarkable works theyve created in the Midwest.  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 artists own pleasure than with the critical reception of the work itself.  The authors here focus on examples of grassroots art environmentswhich include sculptures  paintings  and assemblagesin Kansas  Nebraska  Iowa  Missouri  and Oklahoma. They reveal the special character and unexpected delights of works like Samuel P. Dinsmoors world-famous \"Garden of Eden\"; Claude Meltons quirky \"Nativity Rock Museum\"; Ed Galloways fabulous six-story \"Totem Pole\" honoring Native Americans; and Dave Woodss 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 sitesBackyard Visionaries describes the authors personal experiences of the artists and their work as well as the artists cultural contexts and influences. More than 150 photographsmany in colorcapture 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45789745315893,"sku":"ByrdShop_0700609040","price":49.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780700609048.jpg?v=1784696099","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/backyard-visionaries-grassroots-art-in-the-midwest-9780700609048","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}