Self-Taught Artists, the Bible & the American South

As an expatriate of the South, expressions of southern culture have gained a resonance for me, particularly since moving to New York. Sadly, the exhibition “Coming Home! Self-Taught Artists, the Bible and the American South,” opened and closed before I even knew of it. This inaugural exhibition of the Museum of Biblical Art showcased biblical themes in the work of some of the best known southern folk artists like Howard Finster, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Mose Tolliver, and Clementine Hunter, whose “Frenchie Goin’ to Heaven” is pictured here.

For those of us who missed it, there is an exhibition catalog, and WNYC’s Leonard Lopate hosted a discussion of the exhibition on his May 9th radio program. Also worth checking out is this reposting of a May 11th New York Times article complete with conservative Christian commentary.