The Old, Weird America | Folk Themes in Contemporary Art

Cover Design By Sonny Windstrup with Don Quaintance Edited By Toby Kamps Forward By Linda Shearer With Essays By Michael Duncan and Colleen Sheehy This catalogue is published by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to accompany the exhibition The Old, Weird America organized by Toby Kamps, Senior Curator, for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (May 10–July 20, 2008). This exhibition was coordinated for the Frye Art Museum from October 3, 2009–January 3, 2010 by Robin Held, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections (2004-2009). The exhibition considers a widespread resurgence of folk themes in recent art from the United States, the artists included in the exhibition participate in and reflect upon folklore’s fraught role in the quest for roots, values, and authenticity. Featuring a wide range of media—sculpture, drawing, photography, and video—The Old, Weird America includes artwork by Jeremy Blake, Sam Durant, Barnaby Furnas, Matthew Day Jackson, Brad Kahlhamer, Marga