i checkmate thee

this week in outsider art includes a shout out to moms, cats, cats, and more cats from the museum of international folk art and an out of this world art environment lost

May 12, 2024

THIS WEEK IN OUTSIDER ART

for daily postings of outsider art visit folkartwork.art or follow on Instagram

**ALBERTUS PICTOR** Death playing chess (1480-1490) // Monumental painting in Täby Church located near Stockholm, Sweden; inside the ribbon, now faded, once read “Jak spelar tik matt” translated to “I checkmate thee”

This painting is one of the inspirations for my favorite film ever, “The Seventh Seal” directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1957.

**Mike Rodriguez,** Calico Cat (1990-2005) // Wood, paint, hair, glue via *Museum of International Folk Art*

**ARTIST UNIDENTIFIED** Man's Best Friend (1855 - 1865) // Oil on canvas; 25 1/2 × 32 1/2" via *American Folk Art Museum*

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**M.T. LIGGETT** Political Sculptures (1989-2017) // Located in Mullinville, Kansas off along US Highway 400 and Kansas Highway 54; over 600 small and large metal totems and whirligigs lampooning politicians; local, state and national officials; international figures; or anyone who caught his critical eye

see more photos and video of M.T. Ligget’s political totems

**NELLIE MAE ROWE** Two-Faced Head (1980) // Chewing gum, bottle cap, costume jewelry, ceramic tile, ribbon, artificial hair, marbles, acrylic paint; 5.25 x 4.75 x 5.5 inches via *Souls Grown Deep Foundation*

**ARTIST UNKNOWN** Hair Comb (early 20th Century; Lumpung, Sumatra, Indonesia) // Horn, probably water buffalo, lacquer, glass, metal, paint; 4 3/4 × 4 3/4 × 3/8 in. (12 × 12 × 1 cm) via *Museum of International Folk Art*

**Joe Ortega,** Gray Spotted Cat (date unknown) // Wood, paint, plastic, glue via *Museum of International Folk Art*

**ROSIE CAMANGA** Untitled (Hot Stuff Pinup) (c. 1950-1980) // Ink on paper; 10 3/4 x 14 in (27.3 x 35.6 cm) via *Ricco/Maresca Gallery*

**MARTÍN RAMÍREZ** Untitled (1954) // Graphite, colored pencil, crayon, watercolor, and collage on paper; 23 3/4 x 35 3/4 inches (60.3 x 90.8 cm) via *The Guggenheim Museum*

RENEESHA MCCOY The Invisible Hat (2024) // Mixed media on canvas; 18 inches x 24 inches -- *available for purchase via the artist in the FolkArtwork Collective shop*

**ARCHIE BYRON** Flower Bed (1988) // Sawdust and glue relief with pigment, on wood; 27.5 x 25 inches via *Museum of Fine Arts, Houston* (h/t *Souls Grown Deep Foundation*

**Quirino Santiago**, Feline, carved wood (c. 1965) // Wood, pigment via *Museum of International Folk Art*

Share This Week in Outsider Art

SHOUT OUT

**STEVE ASHBY** Mother and Child (1970) // Painted wood, hair, cotton; 8 × 3 1/2 × 1 1/4" via *American Folk Art Museum*

Shout out to all the moms, my mom, your mom, the mother of my children, everyone with or without a mom and all your mom figures who stepped up when you needed them the most. Appreciate you all, we’d be nothing without you. Happy Mother’s Day!

WATCHING AND READING

Here are a few things I’ve been watching this past week:

Here are a few things I’ve been reading this past week:

Why Did Art History Marginalize Janet Sobel?
BILL SWISLOW, CHICAGO – MEET THE COLLECTOR PARTY SEVENTY
Great interview with great artist and self proclaimed 'feminist folklorist of the Internet Age' Hannah Epstein:
MEPAINTSME
Hannah Epstein
Hannah Epstein (AKA Hanski) is a Canadian pulp artist. Working with a wide array of media, she collects and reforms populist narratives related to the banal and personal moving through the techno-empire of the 21st century. Hanski’s work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions such as The Hammer Museum, Arsenal Contemporary and The Art Gallery of …
Read more
8 months ago · 1 like

OH WORD?

It’s very sad to report that Bowman's UFO Welcome Center, created by Jody Pendarvis as a place to give alien travelers a place to relax and go to the bathroom, was burnt down earlier this week.

"Pendarvis' UFO Welcome Center consists of two flying saucers stacked on top of each other like a two-part layer cake. The larger, bottom UFO is 46 feet wide – standard UFO size, according to Pendarvis. The smaller, upper UFO was added later as a personal vessel for Pendarvis so he can accompany his future alien visitors on their journey after their pitstop on Earth. The structures are made from castoff building materials, scrap metal, and found objects, among other things." — SPACES Archives

A “kooky Southern gentleman” who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Bowman, South Carolina three times, hadn’t ever seen a UFO until he built his Welcome Center. Up until this point in time, he may have preferred extra terrestrial visitors which he claimed to have seen at least once or twice, he would allow visitors to tour the slightly ‘haphazard’ flying saucer for a small entry fee.

It was definitely an enter at your own risk situation as the saucer wasn’t exactly up to code according to the city of Bowman (as are many man-made art environments), but as the proclaimed “Ambassador once claimed, “building codes don’t apply to UFOs”.

Watch this short documentary feature filmed by VICE in 2014:

Pendarvis' home was also destroyed but he was lucky enough to manage to walk way with pants, shoes and an Area 51 t-shirt along with seemingly good spirts and a hope to rebuild the Welcome Center one day.

Donations are being handled through his favorite restaurant in Orangeburg, South Carolina -- Cathy's Country Cooking. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

learn more

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK

**MARK CANTRELL** Negative Feedback Loop (c. 2023) // Oak root via *the artist*

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FROM THE COLLECTIVE

DINAH HANSON-CARRILLO is a Los Angeles born and raised musician turned artist. She mostly paints from memory or imagination but will often use the faces of musicians and actors to complete a piece. Her other influences are tarot cards, alternate universes, the surreality of Whittier, the idea of many lives living under the same sky, and dreams.

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