- "Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture."
The art created by non-professional artists within religious communities, often featuring local or regional variations and idiosyncrasies.
History of Religion: Understanding the history, beliefs and practices of various religions that have influenced the creation of folk religious art.
Origins of Folk Religious Art: A look at the diverse cultural traditions and geographical regions where folk religious art originated, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Symbolism: Examining the symbolic language used in religious art, from traditional icons and images to cryptic codes and hidden meanings.
Functions of Religious Art: Investigating the various purposes of religious art including ritual, therapeutic, or educational functions.
Materials Used: A study of materials and techniques used in creating folk religious art, including carving, painting, and weaving.
Iconography: Analyzing the motifs and symbols used in creating religious art and their meanings.
Stories Depicted: Looking at the stories and myths that are depicted in religious art and how they relate to cultural and spiritual beliefs.
Cultural Context: Understanding the social and cultural contexts in which the religious art is produced, viewed, and modified.
Folk Art Diffusion: How folk religious art is transmitted, transformed, and adapted to different geographical and cultural contexts.
Art and Religion: The expressive power and spiritual significance of folk religious art in the context of broader religious and cultural practices.
Gender and Religious Art: Exploring the gender dynamics and roles of women in the production and consumption of folk religious art.
Collecting, Exhibiting, and Preserving Folk Religious Art: Ethical and practical considerations in collecting, exhibiting, and preserving folk religious art in today's globalized world.
Block Prints: Woodblock printing is a form of folk art that involves carving a design into a wooden block and then using that block to print the design onto paper, fabric, or other materials.
Thangka Painting: A type of Tibetan Buddhist painting, Thangkas are typically made on cotton or silk, and depict deities, teachings, or stories from the Buddhist tradition.
Embroidery: Embroidery is a decorative art form that involves sewing designs or patterns onto fabric using a needle and thread.
Paper Cutting: Paper cutting is a folk art tradition that involves cutting intricate designs into paper using sharp scissors or a knife.
Shadow Puppets: Shadow puppetry is a folk art tradition that involves creating puppets out of paper or leather and projecting their shadows onto a screen or wall.
Folk Sculpture: Folk sculpture refers to the creation of three-dimensional objects that are typically crafted from materials like wood, clay, or stone.
Mosaic: A mosaic is a form of folk art that involves creating a picture or design by arranging small pieces of glass or stone on a flat surface.
Calligraphy: Calligraphy is a form of folk art that involves writing beautiful letters or characters by hand using a brush or pen.
Iconography: Iconography is a type of religious art that involves the creation of images or symbols that represent a particular deity or religious concept.
Folk Music: Folk music is a type of musical tradition that is often associated with specific cultural or regional traditions and is typically passed down from generation to generation.
- "The objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative."
- "The makers of folk art are typically trained within a popular tradition, rather than in the fine art tradition of the culture."
- "There is often overlap, or contested ground with 'naive art'."
- "Folk art" is not used in regard to traditional societies where ethnographic art continues to be made."
- "Unsophisticated art, both fine and applied, which is supposedly rooted in the collective awareness of simple people."
- "The concept of folk art is a distinctly 19th-century one."
- "Folk arts reflect the cultural life of a community."
- "Tangible folk art can include objects which historically are crafted and used within a traditional community."
- "Intangible folk arts can include such forms as music, dance, and narrative structures."
- "These artistic traditions are shaped by values and standards that are passed from generation to generation, most often within family and community, through demonstration, conversation, and practice."
- "Each of these art forms, both tangible and intangible, typically were developed to address a practical purpose."
- "Today it carries with it a tinge of nostalgia for pre-industrial society."
- "...where the term originated, and in the United States, where it developed for the most part along very different lines."
- "The art form encompasses the expressive culture associated with the fields of folklore and cultural heritage."
- "Unless the object or action has been imbued with meaning beyond its initial practicality."
- "Values and standards that are passed from generation to generation."
- "Through demonstration, conversation, and practice."
- "Objects historically crafted and used within a traditional community."
- "The art form encompasses the expressive culture associated with the fields of folklore and cultural heritage."