Last week a couple of us wanted to go to the MoMa to see the Tim Burton exibit. However, none of us realized that the MoMa is actually closed on Tuesdays! (Just so everyone knows... it is!)

So we were about to give up when we saw another museum right by it, The American Folk Art Museum. I don't think I've ever noticed this before, but American folk art has very specific characteristics, or at least that's what I picked up from viewing the art there.

What I first noticed is that everything is very simple. The people and different objects are drawn with minimal details, almost as if any one could draw it out. However, when staning back it's so complicated that you wonder how could ANYONE think of this!?! The painting that I first really noticed was the depiction of Watergate. Everything was small and each section seemed to be it's own world. There was the baseball part and then the church, and the street. Even though it was seperate it was also some how all very connected. It took a long time to even figure out what it all was. This quality of American Folk art is very interesting.

The other piece that I found inspiring was a depiction of different American landscape painted on saws. The different landscapes were of a rural environment, an urban environment, and a suburban area. The fact that it was actually on saws was so wierd at first. I was so focused on why the artist would choose to put it on a saw of all object. One idea is that perhaps it's a represenation of building and how human nature can change nature into whatever they like.

This museum is right by the MoMa (right next door) so I reccomend everyone to stop by and see our American culture's art.