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Delaware Folk Art Collection
1914 West Park Drive, Wilmington, DE 19803
Phone: (302) 761-6952
Fax: (302) 761-4685
What is Folk Art?
Folk art is typically created by untrained artists to express identity, meaning, and the cultural values of a people at a given place and time. This unique collection captures Delaware's diverse communities, people and heritage, and is the only state-owned folk art collection presented in a dedicated facility in the United States.
The Delaware Folk Art Collection is divided into five distinct categories: Root Cultures, Art from Work, New Traditions, Fine Folk Art, Salvage and Outsider Art.
Root Cultures refers to the earliest cultures in Delaware. Native American, early European and African-American art forms reflect the state's first peoples and are among the most traditional in the collection.
Art from Work
Art from Work demonstrates that Americans find identity through their work. This is reflected in many American folk art forms that often involve a tool, product, or process related to making a living.
New Traditions encompasses the diversity of our small state. Delaware has citizens from every continent who have brought their culture and art forms with them. Many works within the Delaware Folk Art Collection came from people who only recently became Delawareans.
Fine Folk Art
Fine Folk Art mirrors the techniques and styles of fine arts. Most of these artists are untrained and choose to use painting as a form more readily perceived as 'art.'
Salvage and Outsider Art
Salvage and Outsider Art works come from discarded materials and use unconventional materials and techniques to convey messages beyond the realm of established art categories.