folkartwork

In 2018 I visited the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. I stumbled upon the “An Imaginative Geography” exhibit showcasing the work of self-taught artist William L. Hawkins. I was immediately mesmerized by his artwork and wanted to know everything about what I learned to be this “outsider artist.” Since then, I have spent daily sharing the artwork and stories of “outsider artists” on my Instagram account @folkartwork.

What started as sharing artwork by folk artists evolved into sharing drawings, paintings, sculptures, and environments by self-taught, mediumistic, visionary, vernacular artists but perhaps best described as non-conformers, artists who were overlooked by society for one reason or another. In the four years of curating these artworks, I have met artists and gallerists from all over the world and begun incorporating these artists and outlook on art into my pedagogy as a high school art history teacher.

WORDS FOR DAILYART MAGAZINE: Polina Raiko, The Self-Taught Folk Artist Who Turned Tragedy to Triumph and Norval Morrisseau is the ‘Picasso of The North’ + 13 Black Folk Artists From The American South

From curating, learning, and sharing about outsider artists past and present, this has led me to be fortunate to launch FolkArtwork Collective, an online web store featuring original artwork for sale by emerging self-taught and outsider artists. My goal is to continue to spread as much love and joy about the world of outsider art as possible and hang as much “non-conforming” artwork in as many homes as possible.

In the fall of 2024, the first ever FolkArtwork exhibit took place in Des Moines, Iowa and in February of 2025, the FolkArtwork Collective debuted as a first time exhibitor at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City. Following the success of Outsider Art Fair, the FolkArtwork Collective returned to Des Moines for a pop-up exhibit at The Dust Collective, the best vintage clothing store in Iowa, in April 2025 featuring a book reading by Sean Moeller.