Upcoming Exhibitions

THE FOLK SPIRIT OF ALBANY: Folk Art from the Collection of the Albany Institute of History & Art

January 26 - May 25, 2008

View of Hudson River at West Point

Thomas Chambers

1855

Orange County, New York

Oil on Canvas, ht. 22" x w.30"

Albany Institute of History & Art Purchase 1958.51

Drawn from the museum’s collection of folk art dating from the 18^th century to the present, this exhibition features works by some of the best-known American folk artists, including Nehemia Partridge, Ammi Phillips, Thomas Chambers, Fritz Vogt and Samuel Robb, many of which were clearly inspired by distinctive aspects of Albany’s history.

The folk artist, broadly defined, is a self-taught artist working outside of the fine arts tradition developed during the Renaissance. The art produced was the personal expression of its maker and reflected the society in which the artist lived. This exhibition will highlight five types of folk artists; the professional artist, craft-tradition artist, event-inspired artist, leisure time or Sunday painter, and the schoolgirl.

James Vanderpoel

Ammi Phillips

1822

Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York

Oil on canvas, ht.31" x w. 24 3/4"

Albany Institute of History & Art Purchase, 1958.30.1

Ann Doll (Mrs. James) Vanderpoel

Ammi Phillips

1822

Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York

Oil on canvas, ht.31" x 2.24 3/4"

Albany Institute of History & Art Purchase, 1958.30.01