Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists at American Folk Art Museum

American Folk Art Museum
Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists
2 Lincoln Square, New York, NY
April 10 – September 13, 2026. Wed – Sun, 11:30 am to 6 pm

“Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists” takes a critical look at the historical definition of the self-taught artist in the United States from the early twentieth century to today. The sixty artists featured largely worked outside conventional art-school, gallery, museum, and peer-exchange systems. Their practices are rooted in diverse sites of learning, from professional expertise to community-based traditions. Drawn primarily from the museum’s collection, the exhibition brings together paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and artists’ notebooks by key national and international figures, including many recent or rarely seen acquisitions.