Folk Nation: Crafting Patriotism in the United States

Folk Nation explores links between vernacular art and the construction of American identity through the museum's rich collections, examining how makers have employed diverse media to express patriotism. About Mounted during the celebration of the United States semiquincentennial, Folk Nation: Crafting Patriotism in the United States draws from the American Folk Art Museum's rich collections to explore links between vernacular art and the construction of an American sense of self. Introducing visitors to the concept of "folk" as a category developed in conjunction with the art and antiques markets, this exhibition positions works as multilayered in their meanings, imbued with cultural significance by not only their creators, but also their collectors and subsequent owners. Americans have long preserved objects as a way of telling stories about themselves. Beginning after the Revolutionary War and gathering momentum in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, people turned to early American things to construct a national history and sense of collective identity—an impulse often driven by lingering insecurity about the young nation's perceived cultural provinciality compared to Europe. This concentrated exhibition illuminates how makers both historical and contemporary have employed a kaleidoscopic variety of media to express love of country while also revealing the complexities and contradictions embedded in such expressions. Folk Nation is curated by Emelie Gevalt, PhD, AFAM's Deborah Davenport and Stewart Stender Deputy Director & Chief Curatorial and Program Officer, and Caroline Culp, PhD, AFAM's former Warren Family Assistant Curator and now Brock Curator of American Art at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS Monday April 27, 2026 – Virtual Insights: Folk Nation (online program) Wednesday July 1, 2026 – Worlds In-Between: The Art of Charlie Willeto (online program) Tuesday August 4, 2026 – Can Craft Save America? (online program) Lead support for this exhibition is provided by Catherine Loevner. Additional support is provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Citi, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the David Davies and Jack Weeden Fund for Exhibitions. Folk Nation is part of Handwork 2026, presented by Craft in America. Media support is provided by The Magazine ANTIQUES. Read more Toggle Painting Sculpture Crafts Mixed media