this week in outsider art: political sculptures, morris hirshfield and the wonderful mamie deschillie + more

making sense of m.t. liggett's folk art and new original self-taught artwork for purchase

Adam Oestreich

Jul 09, 2023

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THIS WEEK IN OUTSIDER ART

for daily postings of outsider art visit folkartwork.art

**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 — *for dozens of more photos and videos, click here*

**MORRIS HIRSHFIELD** Girl with Pigeons (1942) // Oil on canvas; 30 x 40 1/8″ (76.1 x 101.7 cm) via *The Museum of Modern Art — for 13 of the best examples of outsider art at MoMa, click here*

**MAMIE DESCHILLIE** Buffalo (1987) // Paint, cloth, sequins, beads, and jewelry on cardboard; 38 1⁄4 x 47 1⁄4 x 5 1⁄8 in. (97.2 x 120.0 x 13.0 cm.) via *Smithsonian American Art Museum*

**SINDY LUTZ** Untitled (Bird man) (2006) // Mixed media on paper; 12 x 12 in via *Ricco/Maresca Gallery*

**KIANOOSH GHADI** Untitled (c. 2013) // Ink on card; 9.5 x 12 inches via *Henry Boxer Gallery*

**JACKIE BRADSHAW** Returning home from dreams (c. 2023) // Acrylic on canvas — *available for purchase from the artist via the FolkArtwork Collective*

**MARY K. BORKOWSKI** Toil, Strength, and Devotion (1973) // Hand stitching with silk thread on velvet; 20 1/8 x 29 1/4 in. (51.1 x 74.3 cm), Collection of Richard Rosenthal via *Cincinnati Art Museum*

**ESTHER PEARL WATSON** Garden of Eden (2023) via *Webb Gallery*

**RENEESHA MCCOY** Perceived by Feeling (c. 2023) // Acrylic and gouache on canvas — *available for purchase from the artist via the FolkArtwork Collective*

**ARTIST UNKNOWN** Snuff Box (Norway; date unknown) // Hand carved from burl. Flat base opens on copper hinge to reveal a lead lined container; height: 2 inches; width: 3.75 inches; depth: 1.5 inches via *Vesterheim Museum*

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FEATURED ARTIST

**PATRICK ALEOTTI** Mixed media collages (2020) courtesy *the artist*

» be featured on @folkartwork «

OH WORD?

**M.T. LIGGETT** Political Sculptures (1989-2017)

Walking through a Kansas field late on a summer night to see all of these totems, some funny, some polarizing, some perhaps offensive, was an experience. It is hard to capture how overwhelming and how many of these line, what felt like a mile down the highway in the middle of nowhere. If you told me there were a thousand I'd believe you. Ten thousand? Sure, okay.

Mr. Liggett wasn't afraid to express his opinion and knew how to decorate a lonely highway. Famous for saying, "I can't make you mad, only you can make you mad," he had only a few friends as a lot of people around town weren't thrilled with the messages his art would convey. The old man hated hypocrisy, and if you were a hypocrite, you might find your name or likeness up on a totem.

» LEARN MORE AND SEE DOZENS OF PHOTOS HERE «

MUST-WATCH

*Still from the “It Started with a Horse” documentary*

Last week I was lucky enough to visit M.T. Liggett’s art environment of over 600 optical totems and whirligigs in Mullinville, Kansas. It was incredible. Gorgeous, raw, and head-scratching… leaving me with questions.

This week, Joshua Dubois released an excellent 20-year in the making documentary about the man and his folk art. It’s really well done and I highly recommend checking it out to get an unfiltered look at M.T. Liggett and his polarizing artwork.

» WATCH NOW «

FROM THE COLLECTIVE

**GABRIELLE K BROWN** The eyes of knowing is my web in trust (2023) // Airbrush, acrylic and string on wood — *available for purchase from the artist via the FolkArtwork Collective*

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