Outside the Art Box

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Outside the Art Box

Picture the world of art as a penny. Fine art is on one side. When you flip it over, you have outsider art. The otherside of the art world.

I was introduced to outsider art in early 2006 by fiber artist, Susan Sorrell. Like most of the general public, my best guess before this moment was that these artists were creating out in the rain or toiling out under the stars. Artists working outside, but in fact Outsider Art is an entire class of it's own in the art world, outside the rules of fine art, and judged with a completely different eye than fine art.

Outsider art is a reflection of free and wide open creativity. Outsider artists are generally self taught and operate on a clean slate with very little, if any, knowlege of the art form and without immitation.

In 2006 I put together the TRAM Fair, the first SC nonprofit outsider art fair in Travelers Rest, SC which brings together outsider artists from around the southeast. I made this blog to continue my efforts to educate the public about these brilliant, yet often overlooked artists.

South Carolina's Outsider Artists 

This is a growing list. I'll add them as I find them.

Susan Sorrell www.creativechick.com
Cham Little
Charles Henderson
Ernest Lee
Kimberly Dawn Clayton www.whohadada.com
The Patton Brothers www.patton_pottery.com
Bobbie Holt www.bobbiesfolkart.com
Leslie Hart www.thegreenwardrobe.etsy.com
Michel Bayne www.michelbayne.com
William Thomas Thompson www.thompson-art.com
Benton Lutz www.OutsidersArt.com
Jelene Morris www.jelene.com
Sam Doyle www.antonart.com/bio-doyl.htm
Billy FRED Hellams
Jimmie Lynn Dykes
April Harrison
KevBo
Ken Blunt
Richard Burnside
Pearl Fryar
Sophie Ross
Gene Merritt
Minnie Deschamps
Freddie Bennett

Festivals, Fairs and Such. 

TRAM Fair
Outsider. Folk. Local Art.
October 4th, 10am-6pm Gateway Park, Travelers Rest, SC
Who-Fest
A Two-Day Outdoor Celebration of Folk, Outsider
& Self Taught Art. May 24th and 25th / 10:00am-6:00pm Renaissance Park / Chattanooga, TN
www.whofest.com
Spring Fling: Folk & Outsider Art Show
May 2- 4, 2008: Friday, May 2,6-10 pm; Saturday, May 3,11 am - 10 pm; Sunday, May, 4, 1 pm - 6 pm.
Folk Art Festival @ House of Blues Myrtle Beach
House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
4640 Highway 17 S.
N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
843.272.3000
date : Sat, June 24

Some Good Views 

Outsider art is an incredibly open term including subcatagories: Art Brut, Visionary Art, folk and recycled art, among many others. I've scoured YouTube for some of the most educational and telling videos out there. Enjoy.

Henry Darger: An Outsider Artist In All Of Us

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14782 views
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the World and Message of William Thomas Thompson

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655 views
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The Sixteenth Annual Outsider Art Fair

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ROADSIDE REVELATOR art of MYRTICE WEST by c.m. laster

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483 views
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Martin Ramirez - Milwaukee Art Museum

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4889 views
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The Shell Garden

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Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott - preview

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3801 views
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Leni D. Anderson: Outsider/Folk Artist

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262 views
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360 degree TOUR of Lasters Art Shack

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380 views
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Some Good Reads 

Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives (World of Art)

Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 07/11/2009) Buy Now

Everyday Genius: Self-Taught Art and the Culture of Authenticity

Amazon Price: $20.47 (as of 07/11/2009) Buy Now

Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African-American South: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection

Amazon Price: $35.04 (as of 07/11/2009) Buy Now

How to Look at Outsider Art

Amazon Price: $17.21 (as of 07/11/2009) Buy Now

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by niclive

Nichole is the founder of Travelers Rest Arts Mission, a nonprofit community arts organization in Travelers Rest, SC, which holds an annual outsider/f... (more)

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