Collecting Folk Art is like taking a trip through time into lands where self-taught craftsman and artisans abound.  You will visit ancient pyramids, temples and Colonial cities.  One minute you're going over a chain of mountains and then you descend into a pristine valley.  Around the next bend you cross a swamp then enter a jungle rain forest where the local artisans are still making things just like times long gone.

Welcome to the world of Latin American and Mexican Folk Art!!

FOLK ART is the product of a particular region or community which reflects their traditional social or spiritual values.  Generally it is found in their daily attire, textiles, ceramics and paintings; all of which distinguish a particular people group, ethnic group or social group.  It is also found in their metal work [retablos, nichos, etc], religious imagery, jewelry, tools, household utensils and musical instruments.  It almost always involves organic materials and is both functional and aesthetic.  It is an art form made by people who have had little or no formal schooling in art.  They are taught by their mothers and fathers, thus, it is handed down through the generations.  IT IS MADE BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE FOR THE USE OF THE LOCAL PEOPLE.

FOLK ART is items that have been produced for local or personal use.  Mass produced items for export or the "tourist" trade do not qualify as Folk Art.  A more appropriate term would be Functional Art.  Articles like Talavera and Tonala Pottery fall in this category.  Functional Art may contain folk art motifs, but it is not Folk Art.

"For the most part, 'Folk Art' would exclude works executed by professional artists and sold as 'high art' to the society's elite." [Source - Wikipedia]

COLLECTING Folk Art is both rewarding and challenging.  The field is large and extensive and covers the gamut of prices.  I don't think one can ever "complete" a Folk Art collection.  A more appropriate name would be a Folk Art Accumulation.

I was brought up in a family of potters and was taught from an early age what was "good" and what was not.  That training gave me an "eye" for product value.  If you are going to be a collector, you need to develop that "eye."  Larger cities have Museums that showcase temporary exhibits of Folk Art.  Private collections can viewed on the Internet and through Catalogs.  There are numerous books available on a multitude of Collectables.  After seeing "good" examples, your eye will be attracted to the finer things.

ACCUMULATING Folk Art is not that difficult.  In my case, my accumulation ["collection"] consists mostly of items that caught my "eye" in my travels.  I also shop the local markets [I live in Mexico] and on eBay.  I have a large number of indigenous Huipiles [blouses], textiles, ceramics, wood carvings and toys which I have displayed in a room I call Mi Rincon del Mundo ["My Corner of the World"].  Throughout my displays, I have framed photos of places visited and "new" friends; the individual who made the item.

It is only natural that after awhile you pick up a few antiques along your journey and other assorted "collectables."  In Mi Rincon I have some fine examples of Colonial Furniture from Guatemala and Mexico as well as Modern furniture made from exotic hardwoods.  In addition, I have license plates, antique maps and prints, books, posters, stamps and coins.

Throw it all together and you have an Accumulation that is eye catching and always a subject for conversation.

Accumulating Folk Art is not an investment, it's memories!!

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