Folk in Fiber – Three Fine Folk

November 17, 2016, through January 29, 2017

A Collaborative Exhibit by Three Cedarburg Organizations

“Folk art” is a term that refused to be pinned to any one style, discipline or definition. It is used to describe a variety of creative expression, from manifestations of ethnic and familial heritage to works by self-taught and outsider artists. Often, folk art is seen as separate from fine art a term that suggests academic training and an esthetic value, but should it be?

Three Fine Folk is a collaborative by three Cedarburg organizations: the Cedarburg Cultural Center, the Cedarburg Art Museum and the Wisconsin Museum of Quilt & Fiber Arts. Each institution is presenting its own exhibition on “folk art” and examining the boundaries and many different meanings that come with this term. Specifically at WMQFA, we are proud to exhibit Folk in Fiber where we will be taking a look at the label of folk art and the many different meanings it can have. This term can be tricky when used at a fiber arts museum because, traditionally, the majority of what we display and collect is often considered folk or craft art. But the line between folk and fine art can blur, giving us the opportunity to exhibit beautiful artwork and eliminate labels that sometimes carry unwanted preconceptions.

The show will utilize narrative quilts from Pauline Parker, a lifelong watercolor painter who one day woke up and decided to start quilting; hooked rugs from Joyce Krueger, Lyle Drier, and Lorraine Williams that will make you rethink where you step; and finally costumes by Kimberly Masopust Evans from the museum’s collection might just make you rethink English History, and maybe your wardrobe.