The Spirit of Folk Art: The Girard Collection at the Museum of International Folk Art (Museum International Folk Art)

About this book

The Girard Collection at Santa Fes Museum of International Art encompasses more than 100 000 works from 100 cultures worldwide. Here folklorist Henry Glassie has selected 300 objects from the collection to illustrate a wide-ranging study of folk art. The pieces depicted - ceramic figures beaded purses intricate textiles dolls and toys - combine beauty with function. The essay draws upon aesthetics literature religion art history sociology and anthropology to examine the creative wellsprings of folk art while over 50 field photographs show the artists at work evoking the human factor central to the folk-art tradition.