Vernacular Art
from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Teacher’s Guide
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Table of Contents
Letter to Educators 3
Introduction to Vernacular Art
4
Meet the Artists
7
Thornton Dial Jr.
7
Thornton Dial Sr.
8
Arthur Dial
10
O.L. Samuels
11
Lesson Plans
12
Symbolism in Vernacular Art (K-5)
13
Vernacular Art & Sense of Place (K-5)
14
Vernacular Art & Sense of Place (6-12)
15
Pattern in Vernacular Art (K-5)
16
Vernacular Art & Found Materials (K-12)
17
Symmetry in Vernacular Art (K-8)
18
Vernacular Art & Texture (K-12)
19
References & Useful Resources
20
Vocabulary
22
Lesson Plan Evaluation
23
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Teacher’s Guide
2
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Letter to Educators
Dear Florida Teachers,
This packet was created by the Gadsden Arts Center as a tool
to help you teach students about key Vernacular artists featured
in the Gadsden Arts Center’s Permanent Collection. The packet
includes informational articles on Vernacular Art, featured
artists in the collection, and lesson plans for classroom or
museum use. Lesson plans are designed to be adapted to any
classroom and fit a variety of curriculum goals, but primarily
address Sunshine State Standards in Visual Arts for the creation
of art, development of skills in art, and understanding of the
organizational structure of art forms. Additional content areas
also addressed include history, language arts, writing, and
reading. Please consider returning the lesson plan evaluation
form on the last page of this guide for continued growth and
improvement in lesson plans.
The Gadsden Arts Center’s Permanent Collection is available to
browse on our website at http://www.gadsdenarts.org/collection.
aspx and Gadsden Arts will gladly send educators digital images
for educational purposes. For more information on the collection
please contact Education Director Anissa Ford at anissa.ford@
gadsdenarts.org or Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, Angie
Barry at [email protected].
O.L. Samuels, Godzilla,
n.d., paint & wood, 2009.1.6
Thank you,
Anissa Ford
Education Director
Gadsden Arts Center
(850) 627-5023
[email protected]
www.gadsdenarts.org
3
Teacher’s Guide
Introduction to Vernacular Art
V
ernacular Art is a genre of art with a rich
and complex history. This history begins
in private homes and yards, as intimate,
reflections on each artist’s life and surroundings.
These artists collected discarded materials, house
paint, and other non-traditional materials to create
assemblages, paintings, and unique sculptures with
themes relating to their history and their community.
Many Vernacular artists grew up in poverty, with
limited resources or access to art, or even education.
With varying circumstances, each of the artists in
this collection was driven to produce art–often a
lot of art–each with powerful symbols and personal
art-making methods. Overall, Vernacular Art refers
to the expressive power of their work to capture the
language, community, and culture of the area in which
it was created–primarily in the southern states of
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South
Carolina.
Vernacular Art dates back to the 1930’s, but has been
slow to receive recognition by art historians and
collectors, often marginalized as “folk” or “outsider”
art because many of the genre’s artists were selftaught and/or African-American artists living in
segregated rural areas of the Deep South. Although
much of the work is non-objective or abstract–popular
modern and contemporary art genres–originally the
Thornton Dial, Sr., Everything is Under the
Black Tree, n.d., paint & wood, 2009.1.2
4
work of Vernacular
artists was rejected
by art historians and
critics.
The art these artists
produced was so
deeply personal,
so expressive, and
yet it has not been
categorized as
contemporary art
until very recently.
One of the first art
collectors to discover
Vernacular Art was
William Arnett, a
native of Georgia
O.L. Samuels, Godzilla,
who had traveled
n.d., paint & wood, 2009.1.6
extensively to build
his collection and
curated exhibitions for museums in the South. He
became first interested in African American Art in
1972 during a visit to Gainesville when Professor
Roy Craven–who was curating an exhibition of his
collection for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta–
introduced him to the work of Jesse Aaron. Later,
in 1986, Arnett met Lonnie Holley in Birmingham,
where Holley’s environment incorporated “literally
hundreds of assemblages and sandstone sculptures.”1
Acknowledging the importance of this dynamic
African American visual art tradition, and its lack of
recognition, Arnett began collecting these works in
earnest, and working with the artists. He encouraged
them to “do their best work” and that “the art world
needed to be overwhelmed… because it was not
going to accept the idea that important art was coming
from the black uneducated South unless the evidence
was irrefutable.”2 The extensive number of works
that has been produced by southern Vernacular artists
is a testament to these artists’ drive and creativity.
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Introduction to Vernacular Art
A major step in preserving Vernacular Art is the
recent acquisition of 80 works of art from the Souls
Grown Deep Foundation to the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York City (Met), including artwork
by Thornton Dial and Lonnie Holley (artists also
represented in the Gadsden Arts Center’s Permanent
Collection). Of the collection, Met Director and
CEO says, “It embodies the profoundly deep
and textured expression of the African American
experience during a complex time in this country’s
history and a landmark moment in the evolution
of the Met.”3 “This extraordinary group of works
contributes immeasurably to the Museum’s
representation of works by contemporary American
artists and augments on a historic scale its holdings
of contemporary art,”
says the Met’s Chairman
of the Department of
Modern and Contemporary
Art.4 Vernacular Art is
also represented in the
collections and exhibitions
across the United States,
including the Smithsonian
Museum in Washington,
D.C., the Philadelphia
Museum of Fine Art, the
Whitney Museum of Art
in New York, and the High
Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Much of the art produced by
Vernacular artists is inspired
by and a response to each
artist’s life, upbringing,
and home. Of their sense
of place, Gadsden Arts
Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Center Curator Angie
Untitled, n.d., earth Barry says, “A sense of
place and its influence on
pigments/wood,
one’s upbringing are often
2009.1.7
associated with
shaping a person’s
character and
personality. An
artist expressing
a sense of place
in their work is
incorporating an
aspect of themselves
within their art.”
Joe Louis Light, Baby Shoe,
n.d., mixed media, 2010.1.7
Inspired by their
sense of place,
Vernacular artists also used their art to adorn their
homes. Vernacular Art could be found hanging inside
and outside the artists’ homes, made into quilts,
painted on barns and fences, and displayed proudly in
yards. From found materials such as discarded chairs
and tires, to unfinished wood, to reclaimed windows,
and to objects from nature, these artists are driven to
create art that preserves their own story and history.
“In the African American South there is a
sophisticated and esoteric visual system of
communication, built around materials and
found objects with consistent symbolism and
concealed meanings, that came into being
for the purposes of recording, preserving,
and disseminating ideas and information.
That art-making process transformed over
centuries into a widespread tradition that
in the twentieth century spawned some of
the greatest visual arts produced by any
culture.”5
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Teacher’s Guide
Introduction to Vernacular Art
The Gadsden Arts Center’s Vernacular Art Collection
represents 21 artists and 37 works of art. Although
many of these Vernacular Artists did not have any
formal training, their works communicate in the
same manner as the works of the formally trained
contemporary artists with expressive brushwork,
powerful compositions, and innovative use of color
and materials. These artworks are very personal
and offer a power of expression that is unmatched.
Many of these works have a creative purity with
references to isolation that may even be credited to
the longstanding segregation between their creative
genius and that of the contemporary art community.
And like all of the greatest contemporary artists,
these prolific artists created art because they were
compelled to express their life experiences in a visual
form – driven by a creative spirit to celebrate life, and
often, struggle and tragedy.
Purvis Young, Untitled, n.d., collage/paint,
wood, 2009.1.9
1 Souls Grown Deep Foundation, “William Arnett Formative Role Patron & Collector.” <http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/news/
william-arnetts-formative-role-patron-and-collector-african-american-art>
2 Ibid
3 Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Souls Grown Deep Foundation Donates...” < http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/pressroom/news/2014/souls-grown-deep>
4 Ibid
5 Souls Grown Deep Foundation, “The Tradition.” <http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/tradition>
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Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Thornton Dial Jr.
Thornton Dial Jr., called “Little Buck” by his family,
was born in 1953 in Bessemer, Alabama1. He attended
school through the 11th grade, after which he worked
doing construction in Birmingham, Alabama, for around
seven years. Dial then returned to Bessemer to work for
the Pullman Standard Company operating punch-andshear machines. It was at this time that he learned to bend
and shape iron, a skill that he would later use to create his
sculpture. Dial married his first wife in 1972 and had two
children before they divorced in 1981. In 1986 he married
Angela Jackson and fathered two more children, as well
as becoming the stepfather of Jackson’s daughter from a
previous marriage. That same year Dial, inspired by his
father’s art, began creating artwork of his own.
Meet the Artists
Thornton Dial, Jr., Untitled, n.d.,
paint, tin, fiber, & wood, 2009.1.5
Thornton Dial Jr. works in several mediums, including painting, sculpture, and assemblage. He
prefers to paint with oil-based enamel house paint, which he considers to be a basic material, as
opposed to using “artist’s paint,” or more traditional materials.2 His assemblages are made from
found and purchased materials, and his sculptures are made from cut and molded sheet metal
and iron. Dial’s paintings are characterized by the use of strong colors, bold lines, and often
repetition to emphasize his message. He uses animals and nature in his work to symbolize social
conditions within modern society. Much of his work focuses on the relationships between blacks
and whites, as well as humans’ relationship to nature.
Over the years, Thornton Dial Jr. has gained much recognition for his art and has exhibited
around the country at museums like the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. His work is
also included in the permanent collection of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York
City. Dial is proudly continuing the artistic traditions started by his father, Thornton Dial Sr.
1 Barrett, Didi. “Little Buck.” in Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Vol. 2. Eds. William Arnett and Paul Arnett.
Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2001. 470.
2 Conwill, Kinshasha, et al. Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African-American: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection. New York:
Harry A. Abrams, Inc., 2001. 100.
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Teacher’s Guide
Meet the Artists
Thornton Dial Sr.
Thornton Dial, Sr. was born in 1928 in Emelle, Alabama. He was one of twelve children and
never knew his father. His family made their living sharecropping, and he grew up helping out on
the farm. Dial went to school on and off for a few years, but dropped out completely after he was
ridiculed for being 13 years old in the 2nd grade. Instead of going to school, Dial snuck off to
work different odd jobs, including carpenter, house painter, cement mixer, and ironworker.
From 1952 to 1980, he worked for the Pullman Standard Company, a railroad car factory in
Bessemer, Alabama. Dial says he learned about drawing from his job at the Pullman factory,
studying designs for the steel machines. After his retirement, he concentrated on his artwork, as
well as raising turkeys and making wrought-iron lawn furniture with his sons.
Dial says he was always making art and expressing his ideas; however, he didn’t know it was art
until he met William Arnett in 19871. Arnett is an art dealer and collector from Atlanta, Georgia,
who travels throughout the Southeast meeting and discovering artists like Thornton Dial. This
type of art, known as “self-taught,” “folk,” “outsider,” or “vernacular” art was unknown to the
larger art community and was not truly considered “fine” art until artists like Dial exhibited at
museums like the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Whitney Museum of Art in New York.
Dial says he likes to create his artwork with materials others have thrown away2. With most of
his sculptural pieces, Dial collects all of the components of the work, such as old carpet, rope,
fence, or clothes and “builds” the art first. After the art is built Dial paints the entire sculpture
to “fit” the work. These large sculptural paintings are often huge, creating imposing art that is
literally coming into the viewer’s space.
Dial confirms that his representation of the tiger in a majority of his paintings is symbolic of
“struggle,” however, Dial’s tiger is widely regarded by art critics and historians as the AfricanAmerican man’s struggle for freedom in America. Dial says most of his work is about freedom
and power, and the tiger is a reoccurring image3.
In 1990, Dial exhibited a collection of his work called Ladies of the United States, at Kennesaw
State College in Marietta, Georgia. Soon after this show, Dial started drawing on paper, primarily
images of women, in response to an art critic who stated that Dial couldn’t draw and made
women look ugly. This was particularly hurtful to Dial, as he has a huge respect for the female
gender. He was raised by women, and believes women carry strength, power, and love. Dial says
that man would lose his “struggle” without women’s strength and love4.
In 2011, the Indianapolis Museum of Art revealed a new traveling retrospective of Dial’s work:
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, which traveled throughout the southeast. The popularity
8
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Meet the Artists
of this exhibition and the buzz surrounding Dial led Time magazine to publish an article noting
the artist’s elevation into the art world: “What he does can be discussed as art, just art, no surplus
notions of outsiderness required”5.
Thornton Dial, Sr., The Tiger Knocks the Lady Down and the Midget Runs
Away, 1988, assemblage, 2010.1.3
Since that exhibition Thornton Dial has had many health problems, and although he is in his 80s,
he still consistently creates large sculptural paintings. Much of his work now is almost totally
nonobjective- large high-relief paintings in monochromatic colors of black, white, and brown. It
is as though his work is quieting down; he is not making his message so apparent anymore, but
allowing the viewer to add more to the conversation.
Dial is an artist who has created art his entire life, from a deep-rooted need to “make things,”
and who did not know that he was making “art” until the late 1980s. Thornton Dial, Sr. is now
considered one of the creative geniuses of his time, and the most famous vernacular artist
from the Southeast, whose work has shattered the art world’s notion of “folk” and “outsider”
art. Although Dial has never had any education or art training and is from a rural town in the
Deep South, his work touches on themes of racial inequality, struggles in a modern world, and
relationships between men and women, themes that resonate with audiences around the world.
1 Mr. Dial Has Something to Say. Dir. Celia Carey. Alabama Pubic Television, 2007. DVD.
2 As told by Thornton Dial. “Mr. Dial is a Man Looking for Something” in Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Vol.
2. Eds. William Arnett and Paul Arnett. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2001. 201-202.
3 Arnett, William. “A Network of Ideas” in Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Vol. 1. Eds. Paul Arnett and
William Arnett. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2000, 187.
4 As told by Thornton Dial. “Mr. Dial is a Man Looking for Something.” 208.
5 Lacayo, Richard. “Outside the Lines.” Time 14 Mar. 2011: 54-57.
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Teacher’s Guide
Meet the Artists
Arthur Dial
Mixed media artist Arthur Dial is known for
his assemblages depicting regional folklore
and biblical passages. Born and raised in rural
Alabama, Dial developed an interest in the
arts from his well-known artist half-brother,
Thornton Dial, Sr. Just as many vernacular
southern artists, he pulls much of his inspiration
from his surroundings, both in material and
concept.1 He held a job with a company called
U.S. Pipe, what the locals termed the “Pipe
Shop,” for thirty-seven years until the extended
chemical exposure eventually degraded his
health. Throughout his long career, the constant
interaction with piping materials began to
Arthur Dial, Untitled, n.d., paint, fiber, wood,
infiltrate his artwork, as he “made other stuff,
2014.1
little peoples, animals, and crucifixions and
stuff like that out of scrap pipe and steel and
leftover supplies around the shop.”2 Dial frequently uses materials such as burlap, spray paint,
and industrial sealing compound in the fabrication of his works, offering high-relief texture to his
paintings.
Dial’s neighborhood, also known as “Pipe Shop,” offered a great deal of support for his artistic
practice, often serving as inspiration for his pieces. He frequently represented the people in his
community that he related to, such as the “working man,” in addition to biblical characters, such
as Adam and Eve.
Dial’s process is organic and unique, serving as an artistic extension of him. He states, “I take
ideas from my own head. I got one or two ideas from the news but most of it comes from what I
see and the opinions I got inside me. My art is a record of what went by.”3 His concepts are not
meant to encompass archetypal ideas or overarching philosophies, but rather his personal identity
as an artist, what’s important to him, and his societal context.
1 Sellen, Betty-Carol. “Artists: Arthur Dial” in Self Taught Outsider, and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations, and
Resources, 160. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2003.
2 “Arthur Dial.” Souls Grown Deep Foundation. As told by Arthur Dial to William Arnett, 1997. http://soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/
arthur-dial
3 Dial, Arthur. “A Record of What Went By” in Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art of the South, Eds. Paul and
William Arnett, 368-74. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2000.
10
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
O.L. Samuels
Meet the Artists
O.L. Samuels was born in Wilcox County, Georgia,
on November 18, 1931. Samuels left home when
he was eight years old and worked various odd jobs
around the country, including working as a farmer,
professional boxer, musician, and tree surgeon.
While working as a tree surgeon in 1982, Samuels
was seriously injured and had to spend his lengthy
recovery in a wheelchair. The accident sent him
into a deep depression, until he remembered his
grandmother’s advice to carve wood whenever he was
down. This was the beginning of Samuels’s artistic
career.
Samuels works mainly with found wood objects such
as tree trunks, roots, and old wood furniture, which he O.L. Samuels, Firefly, 2009, wood/fiber,
paint, 2010.2
will carve for months at a time. The artist paints his
sculptures with a secret concoction of paint, glitter,
sawdust, and glue that he warms on the stove, and uses as a “skin” for his sculptures.1 Although
color-blind, Samuels paints several layers of wild, expressive colors, “using every color so he
doesn’t leave any out.”2 Samuels is known for his imaginary images, dreamlike figures, and
mythical creatures, each of whom comes with a story about its existence. Samuels’s obvious
preference is to carve images of horses, which he says are “the most prideful of all the animals.”3
Samuels became a lay minister later in life, and his work often has a spiritual message.
O.L. Samuels lives in Tallahassee with his wife, using his living room as a workshop. He is
still actively creating and exhibiting his artwork. Samuels has been considered one of the most
talented self-taught artists in America by museums across the country. His work is included
in several permanent collections, including the White House, the Arkansas Arts Center, the
Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Museum of African Art.
1 Monroe, Gary. “O.L. Samuels” in Extraordinary Interpretations: Florida’s Self-Taught Artists. Gainesville, FL: University Press of
Florida, 2003. 131.
2 “O.L. Samuels.” Orange Hill Art. Orange Hill Art, Inc., 2005. http://www.orangehillart.com/artistinfo.asp?ArtistID=1235.
3 Abrams, Michael. “O.L. Samuels and his imaginative universe of animals, people and goblins: ‘I make things with the help of the
spirit.’” in Florida Wildflowers. Michael E. Abrams, 2008. http://www.flwildflowers.com/olsamuels/.
11
Teacher’s Guide
Lesson Plans
12
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Symbolism in Vernacular Art
Grades K-5
Objectives: Students will create personal works of art, with imagery and symbols, and explain
their choices.
Time Needed: Two 1-hour class periods (one for younger students)
Standards: VA.K-5.S.1 & VA.K-5.C.1
Materials: paper, pencils, crayons/markers/paint (adapt for skill/grade level)
Featured artwork: Thornton Dial, Jr. – Untitled
Directions:
1.
Introduce students to the concept of Vernacular Art. Show students examples of the work
and explain that each artist is creating art in response to their environment and often with objects
found in their environment. Review if previously discussed.
2.
Show students Thornton Dial, Jr.’s Untitled. Discuss the various objects in the assemblage (butterfly, flower, sun, moth). What could these mean as symbols?
a.
Butterfly/moth – change, freedom
b.
Sun – warmth, light, happiness
c.
Flower – growth
3.
Discuss other popular symbols with which students might be familiar. Provide example
images that students may view during discussion.
4.
Ask students to pick an image or symbol that they like. Using the sample images, students will draw an outline for their artwork.
5.
Have students select colors they like and draw or paint their artworks with those colors.
Note how Thornton Dial, Jr. does not necessarily use true-to-life colors, so students may make
their own decisions on how they’d like to finish their artworks.
6.
When students have finished their works, have each student present their finished artwork
to the class and describe why they decided on their image and what it symbolizes to them.
13
Teacher’s Guide
Vernacular Art & Sense of Place
Grades K-5
Objectives: Students will create personal works of art, with colors that represent their favorite
places, and explain their choices.
Time Needed: 1 class period
Standards: VA.K-5.S.1 & VA.K-5.C.1
Materials: markers/crayons/paint (adapt for skill/grade level), paper
Featured artwork: Thornton Dial, Jr. Untitled.
Directions:
1. Introduce (or review) Vernacular Art, including examples of work. Explain that vernacular artists created art in response to their environment–their home and places special to them.
2. Ask students to write down their favorite places. For example, grandparent’s houses, playground, or any place important to them.
3. Explain to students that colors typically have a meaning associated with them. Use these examples:
• Blue – calm
• Yellow – cheerful/happy
• Green – energetic/life
• Red – excited
• Purple – peaceful
4. Ask students to write down 3 emotions they feel when they are at their favorite place, and then
choose a color to go with it. They may use the examples or select their own colors.
5. Using the colors selected, students will draw the place they chose.
6. When students have finished their works, have each student present their finished artwork to
the class and describe why they their colors and what they like about their favorite place.
14
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Vernacular Art & Sense of Place
Grades 6-12
Objectives: Students will create personal works of art, reflecting on their choices, with inspiration from the Vernacular Art exhibition.
Time Needed: 1 class period
Standards: VA.68.S.1.3, VA.68.S.1.4, VA.912.S.1.3, VA.912.C.1.8, VA.912.O.3.1
Additional content areas: Language Arts/Writing
Materials: paper, markers, crayons, paint, pencils
Featured artworks: Selected by student from exhibition
Directions:
1. Introduce students to the concept of Vernacular Art. Show students examples of the work and
explain that each artist is creating art in response to their environment and often with objects
found in their environment. Review if previously discussed.
2. After reviewing the exhibition, ask students to write down the title of their favorite piece.
What colors are in it? How do the colors influence the emotion of the piece? Then, ask students
to write down what they think the artwork means. What is the artist telling the viewer?
3. In the studio, ask students to write down their favorite place to visit. Then, students will pick
3 descriptive words for the emotions they feel about that place, and assign a color for each of the
words. They may use these examples or come up with their own:
•
Blue – calm
•
Yellow – cheerful/happy
•
Green – energetic/life
•
Red – excited
•
Purple – peaceful
Using the 3 colors selected, students will draw or paint the place they chose.
4. Finally, students will write a paragraph about their piece. They may describe the place with
detail, write a narrative story about an experience at the place, or write a poem expressing their
emotions about their place.
15
Teacher’s Guide
Pattern in Vernacular Art
Grades K-5
Objectives: Students will understand pattern as a
principle of design by arranging elements of art such as
line, shape, form, and color. Students will create a work
of art that includes pattern.
Time Needed: 1 class period
Standards: VA.K-5.O.1
Materials: paper, pencils, crayons/markers/colored
pencils
Featured artwork: Thornton Dial Jr. Untitled
Directions:
1. Introduce students to the concept of Vernacular Art.
Show students examples of the work and explain that
each artist is creating art in response to their environment and often with objects found in their
environment. Review if previously discussed.
Thornton Dial Jr. uses a variety of patterns in his artwork. Ask students to identify patterns they
see in his work, and then draw examples of them.
2. Have students demonstrate patterns by finishing shape, line, and color patterns, then create
their own patterns.
3. Many vernacular artists depict animals in their work. Ask students to pick an animal they see
often, or just their favorite animal, and draw it. Then, using patterns have students fill in the animal. Students may use different patterns on different parts of the animal, and also add different
patterns to the background.
16
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Vernacular Art & Found Materials
Objectives: Students will learn about vernacular art and using
unique materials in the creation of art. Students will create their
own art assemblage.
Grades K-12
Time Needed: 2-3 class periods
Standards: VA.K-912.S.1
Additional content areas: Language Arts/Writing
Materials: found materials, paint, glue, cardboard or foam-core or
thick paper
Featured artwork: Thornton Dial Sr. Big Black Bear Trying to
Survive and The Tiger Knocks the Lady Down and the Midget Runs Away.
Directions:
1. Introduce students to the concept of Vernacular Art. Show students examples of the work and
explain that each artist is creating art in response to their environment and often with objects
found in their environment. Review if previously discussed.
Thornton Dial Sr. is known for painting over found materials in his works. Look closely at the
examples. Discuss the types of materials uses and how the artist uses them for adding texture to
his work.
2. Discuss with students the types of materials they might use that are unconventional. What are
they? What might the texture be used for?
3. For younger students, provide samples of drawings that imply texture (see list below). Allow
them to color these objects individually, and then cut them and collage them into an image.
For older students, instruct students to ask their parents and then collect a few “found objects”
from home. Each student should try to bring 5-10 small objects. Teachers should provide options
to add to the assemblages.
Students will then arrange and glue their pieces to their surface. Textures can be arranged for a
particular image, or can be random. Then, the entire assemblage should be painted a solid color
(white or black may be best). Students will then use color to paint their scene.
“Found objects” to consider: yarn, CDs, hair curlers, tiles, pom-poms, corks, cardboard pieces,
puzzle pieces, lids, buttons, fabric flowers, beads/jewelry, wood pieces, carpet sample squares,
etc.
4. When students have finished their works, have each student present their finished artwork to
the class and describe their artwork and the decisions they made, and why they made them.
5. Write a paragraph about your art. Does it tell a story? What would you want viewers of this
artwork to know? How did the process of creating this work of art contribute to its final product
and meaning?
17
Teacher’s Guide
Symmetry in Vernacular Art
Grades K-8
Objectives: Students will learn about vernacular art, balance, and symmetry and create a personal work of art inspired by vernacular art. Students will also discuss their works using accurate
art vocabulary.
Time Needed: 1 class period
Standards: VA.K-68.S.1, VA.K-68.S.2
Materials: paper, crayons, markers, paint, craft sticks
Featured artwork: Arthur Dial, Untitled, mixed media assemblage
Directions:
1. Introduce (or review) Vernacular Art, including examples of work. Explain that vernacular artists created art in response to their environment–their home and places special to them.
2. Review Arthur Dial’s Untitled work. What is happening? How did the artist present the image? He painted on found materials (rug/carpet) with bold colors. This work is also an excellent
example to use to discuss balance, one of the principles of design.
3. Discuss balance, and the types (symmetry, asymmetry, radial symmetry). Ask students what
type this work displays? Why? Why do you think it isn’t perfectly symmetrical?
3. For the project, take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. On one half, draw half of your desired
image using a dark crayon. For example, draw half of a face or house. Be sure that the half is
aligned with the fold of the paper and not the edge. Then, fold the paper so that the drawing is on
the inside. Using a craft stick, rub the paper from the outside, occasionally checking that the image is transferring. Using paint, markers, or more crayons, add designs and color to the artwork.
Students may decide to make the work purely symmetrical, or to add variety to the work.
4. When students have finished their works, have each student present their finished artwork to
the class and describe their artwork and the decisions they made, and why they made them.
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Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Vernacular Art & Texture
Grades K-12
Objectives: Students will learn about art elements in O.L. Samuel’s artwork and create their own
three-dimensional pieces inspired by his artwork, incorporating those same elements.
Time Needed: 2-3 class periods
Standards: VA.K-912.O.1 & VA.K-912.S.1
Materials: toilet paper rolls, toothpicks, sequins, buttons, beads, glitter, googly eyes, glue gun,
hot glue, model magic/clay
Featured artwork: O.L. Samuels Godzilla & Firefly
Directions:
1. Review the elements of art and principles of design. For students new to these concepts, we
suggest using this lesson plan later in the year when they have already been familiarized with
each of the terms in some capacity.
2. Introduce students to the concept of Vernacular Art. Show students examples of the work and
explain that each artist is creating art in response to their environment and often with objects
found in their environment. Review if previously discussed.
Discuss O.L Samuels’ artwork, the materials he uses, and how he creates his art from reclaimed
wood. Ask students to discuss the ways the artist uses the elements of art and principles of design
in his artwork.
3. For younger students, show images of various animals (horse, sheep, fish, and more). Ask
students what they think they each would feel like–explain that that is texture. Ask students how
they would draw a texture like that of the animal’s skin/fur, and then have them draw the textures
as a review of this concept.
4. Instruct students to ask their parents and then collect a few “found objects” from home.
Each student should try to bring 5-10 small objects. Teachers should provide options to add to
the assemblages. “Found objects” to consider: yarn, CDs, hair curlers, tiles, pom-poms, corks,
cardboard pieces, puzzle pieces, lids, buttons, fabric flowers, beads/jewelry, wood pieces, carpet
sample squares, etc.
5. With a teacher’s help, use glue or a hot glue gun to add the found objects to a toilet paper or
paper towel roll to being to build the shape of an animal. Students will then adorn their found object animals with paint and other objects. Older students may use clay or model magic to sculpt
their animal first, and then adorn it with the found objects, or incorporate that into the work.
6. Students will then write a paragraph about their finished work of art. What art elements were
used in the creation of this work of art? What would you want viewers of this artwork to know?
Is there a story behind the animal–if so, write it!
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Teacher’s Guide
References & Useful Resources
BOOKS
American Self-Taught: Paintings and Drawings by Outsider Artists by Frank Maresca and
Roger Ricco with Lyle Rexer. New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.
Creation Story: Gee’s Bend Quilts and the Art of Thornton Dial by Mark Scala. Nashville, Tennessee: The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, 2012.
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial by Joanne Cubbs and Eugene W. Metcalf. Indianapolis: Indiana: Delmonico Books/Prestel, 2011.
History Refused to Die: The Enduring Legacy of African American Art in Alabama by
Horace Randall Williams, Karen Wilkin, and Sharon Holland with Introduction by William S. Arnett. Atlanta, Georgia: Tinwood Books, 2015.
I am Ruby by Sylvia McCardel Thomasson with paintings by Ruby C. Williams; Atlanta,
Georgia, Cardel Press, 2004.
Self-Taught Art: The Culture and Aesthetics of American Vernacular Art, ed. Charles
Russell. University Press of Mississippi, 2001.
Thornton Dial in the 21st Century by William Arnett, John Beardsley, Alvia J. Wardlaw,
and Jane Livingston. Atlanta, Georgia: Tinwood Books in association with the Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston, 2006.
Thornton Dial: Image of the Tiger, New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, The New Museum of Contemporary Art,
and The American Center, 1993.
Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper by Bernard L. Herman. Chapel Hill, North Carolina:
University of North Carolina Press in association with the Ackland Art Museum, 2011.
Souls Grown Deep: African-American Vernacular Art: The Tree Gave the Dove a Leaf,
Volume One, eds. William Arnett and William S. Arnett. Atlanta, Georgia: Tinwood
Books, 2000.
Souls Grown Deep: African-American Vernacular Art, Volume Two, eds. William Arnett
and Paul Arnett. Atlanta, Georgia: Tinwood Books, 2001.
Self Taught Outsider, and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations, and Resources, 160. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2003.
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Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
FILMS
References & Useful Resources
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say; an Art Original Film, Alabama Public Television, 2007.
Purvis of Overtown; a film by David Raccuglia and Shaun Conrad, Tinwood Media in Association with 77 Films, 2006.
WEB RESOURCES
Gadsden Arts Center: http://www.gadsdenarts.org/
George Jacobs: Self-Taught Art: http://www.self-taughtart.com/
The American Folk Art Museum: http://www.folkart-museum.org/
The Foundation for Self-Taught American Artist: http://www.foundationstaart.org
The High Museum of Art Atlanta: http://www.high.org
The New Museum of Contemporary Art: http://www.newmuseum.org/
The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery: http://americanart.si.edu
The Souls Grown Deep Foundation: http://soulsgrowndeep.org/
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Teacher’s Guide
Vocabulary
aesthetic – pertaining to a sense of the beautiful; concerned with pure emotion and sensation as
opposed to intellectuality
assemblages – three-dimensional collages (often reliefs); art that transforms found objects and
non-art materials into sculpture through combining or constructing techniques such as gluing or
welding
expressionistic – painting in a style that expresses the emotions of the artist
folk art – art made by people who have little or no formal schooling in art; using styles handed
down through many generations, often in a particular region
naïve art – a style of painting characterized by simplified depiction of subjects, non-scientific
perspectives, bright colors, and often literal depictions of imaginary scenes
outsider art – a term used to describe art created by artists who work outside of the mainstream
art market; they often have not been trained in art and do not make art in order to sell it
non-objective – art that does not represent a person, place, or thing in the natural world; instead it
can represent an idea, or not represent anything at all but just have an interesting composition
pattern – a principle of design where colors, lines, or shapes are repeated
regionalism – a style of art popular in the United States in the 1930s that depicted the rural, farming American lifestyle in a clear, simple, and idealized way.
relief – sculpture that projects from a two-dimensional background
sculpture – three-dimensional art that is “in the round” or visible from all sides
self-taught – an artist who has learned to create art on his or her own, instead of learning in a
formal school or university setting
signature – the specific and unique way in which an artist creates a body of work; a quality that
runs through the artist’s entire body of work
style – the artist’s chosen avenue for expression: realistic, abstract, and expressionistic, are examples of style
subject matter – a person, place, or thing that is represented in a body of work
symbolic – using a recognizable image to carry an implied or sometimes hidden meaning
texture – surface quality of a work of art; this may be seen (visual), felt (actual), or both
vernacular – the language, art, or culture that is specific to, and representative of a place and
time period
Vernacular Art – a style of art that represents the culture, lifestyle, symbolism, experiences, and
beliefs of a place and time period
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Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Lesson Plan Evaluation
Please return this form to the Gadsden Arts Center at:
13 N. Madison St.
Quincy, FL 32351
Fax: (850) 627-8606.
Email: [email protected]
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Gadsden Arts Center
13 N. Madison Street
Quincy, FL 32312
www.gadsdenarts.org
(850) 875-4866