The FolkArtwork Collective Heads To The Outsider Art Fair
Outsider Art Fair, here comes the FolkArtwork Collective.
Six years ago I stumbled into a William Hawkins exhibit and learned what Outsider Art is all about. Three years ago I went to my first ever Outsider Art Fair in New York City and I only spent one day at the event. I could have spent weeks.
Since then, I’ve returned to the Outsider Art Fair every year, I’ve started the FolkArtwork Collective in hopes to help self-taught and outsider artists from across the world sell their artwork, and I have even curated my first ever art exhibit in Des Moines, Iowa.
And now, I am extremely proud and honored to be taking a group of artists and their artwork to New York City, the FolkArtwork Collective will a first-time exhibitor at the 33rd edition of the Outsider Art Fair.
All of these experiences have been life-changing, and they were a true blessing as I’ve enjoyed every minute since the moment FolkArtwork was born. It all started with an Instagram account sharing daily folk, self-taught, visionary, and outsider art, evolving into a blog, a newsletter, and now the FolkArtwork Collective, a group of self-taught artists from around the globe.
In 2024, after two years of selling artwork exclusively online, the first-ever FolkArtwork exhibit took place in Des Moines, Iowa. The “Faces In The Crowd” exhibit saw hundreds of people come through on the opening night, numerous works sold, and received rave reviews from the local press.
The FolkArtwork Collective is delighted to highlight American artists Esteban Whiteside, Jordan Sullivan, and Reneesha Mccoy, who often bring to light the struggle of the overlooked, underserved and painful sides of society; Canadian artists Gabrielle K Brown and Jackie Bradshaw, inspired heavily by their country’s folk art traditions; and Irish artist working out of London, Sarah Lee who brings her wildly popular “monster” series of works to New York City. For only the second time since his passing, the artwork of James Ash (1950-2021), a self-taught artist who battled a life of addiction and mental health struggles, will be featured in person as well as an eclectic range of vibrant artworks from artists past and present, similar to what you will find on the FolkArtwork Instagram and “This Week in Outsider Art” newsletter.
Of course, none of this would even be possible if it weren’t for the constant love and support of Caroline Oestreich, the encouragement of my parents Mark and Julie Oestreich, and these amazing artisTts.
Learn more about the artists who’s new and some never before seen artwork will be on display, catch it all in Booth C4 at this year’s Outsider Art Fair, starting Thursday, February 27th and concluding Sunday, March 2nd.
JAMES ASH The Green Machine (date unknown) // Acrylic on wood — Original work of art work by James Ash, featured in the 2025 Outsider Art Fair in New York City. This work is framed measures 15 inches x 20 inches.
JAMES ASH always wanted to be an art teacher. For various reasons, including addiction, his mental health, and living without internet in the Michigan woods, he never became an art teacher. So, he taught himself how to make art.
“The death of an absent parent, and an addict parent, hits like a wind. You don’t fall over immediately – you just stand there, taking it.
You knew it was coming. Eventually, it’s too cold or too strong or too full of sand for you to stand, but at first, it’s just wind, pushing you around and drying you out because it’s hard to miss what was never there.”
— excerpt from Anna Ash’s unpublished book “My Father’s Paintings”
JACKIE BRADSHAW is a neurodivergent, endometriosis warrior folk/outsider artist from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. She spent years working as a PSW until the birth of her son prompted her to start a small home daycare.
During this time, she utilized leftover paints from the kids to create mirror image paintings. She added ink or crayon to extract images from the splatters of paint that she perceived. Becoming deeply engrossed in this process she produced hundreds of paintings. Jackie has continued creating art as a means to quiet her mind and body.
GABRIELLE K BROWN is a multifaceted artist, eagerly seeking new ways to tell stories through paintings, sculptures and public murals. Her work retains an object like quality utilizing many folk art materials. From wood and various paints, they retain a natural and intuitive, seemingly naive yet extremely complex aesthetic.
These works dissect the relationship we have with ourselves, our companions, our society and our past. Combining an awe and celebration of nature and the divine while shedding light on how we grow and how we suffer as human beings. Confrontational imagery is often contrasted with uplifting symbols, actions and words – emphasizing the extremes of the human condition and experience.
SARAH LEE is a self-taught Irish artist and illustrator working in London. Working full-time as a nurse and at a charity that runs workshops for people with mental health conditions. When she isn’t working or spending time with her daughter, Sarah paints every chance she gets.
Since she was a kid, she has made up characters and scenarios in her head and has always loved making art. She was once told by an art teacher that she wasn’t good at art, and it took years for her to finally pick back up a paintbrush and put those characters and scenarios down on canvas.
“To Be in the Open” by Reneesha Mccoy // Mainframe
RENEESHA MCCOY To Be in the Open (2024) // Oil, acrylic and plaster on canvas — Original work of art work by Reneesha Mccoy, featured at the “Faces In The Crowd” FolkArtwork exhibit. This work is ready to hang and measures 24 inches x 30 inches.
RENEESHA MCCOY is a self-taught artist who began her artistic practice in 2019, living and working in North Carolina. Working primarily in acrylics and oil pastels, she often explores of various mediums like colored pencil, ink, and paint markers.
A principle theme in Reneesha’s work is her celebration of the consequence of life and nature. Primarily in relation to the female body, her work is uniquely abstract. She uses her personal experience to highlight the internal and external effects of childbirth. Particularly the physical changes that occur from breastfeeding.
JORDAN SULLIVAN is a self-taught artist born in Houston, Texas, and raised in rural Ohio and suburban Detroit. In addition to making art, he has worked as a drug and alcohol counselor at rehabs for adolescents and adults. He lives in Queens, New York.
ESTEBAN WHITESIDE is a self-taught painter whose work is based on the intersectionality of street art and politics. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, he began painting as an act of love. This then led to him dedicating more time and research into painting, with an interest in abstraction.
Always inspired by outspoken artists, after seeing the death of Michael Brown, he felt he could no longer create work that didn’t address social issues. This led to developing an artist narrative stemming from circumstances affecting the Black community. It was at this pivotal point that his inspiration shifted from abstract expressionism and artists like Romare Bearden. It is what Bearden calls “concrete oppressionism”, focusing solely on creating work containing a direct, political message. This leaves little room for interpretation.
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