Folk art usually brings to mind carved wood or quilted cloth. But folk art in metal has an equally long history and astonishing variety. You’ll be able to take in this profusion of creativity in copper, iron and steel at Catskills Folk Connection’s exhibit “Folk Art in Metal,” beginning Saturday September 3 at Hanford Mills Museum’s Feed Mill gallery, 51 County Route 12, East Meredith, NY, 13757. The next day, Sunday, September 4, there will be an artists’ reception at 1:30 pm. And on Saturday, September 24 several of the artists will demonstrate or present their work at the Museum’s Exploration Day.
Coppersmith Mark Swanberry took part in Catskills Folk Connection's first sculpture exhibit in 2019, “Folk Art in Stone,” but since then has immersed himself in making copper into naturalistic forms. Inspired by three generations of creative people in his family, he shapes the copper into leaves, nests, bark and other forest litter that he has seen on his regular woods walks. For the title panel of this exhibit he is bringing a large wall hanging in copper of a carefully stacked woodpile.
Lucas Novko is a blacksmith that you may have encountered as an interpreter of historic blacksmithing at the Farmer’s Museum and at Hanford Mills Museum. “While my work is based on historic pieces and I try to keep to certain ironworking traditions, it is still me making the decision (or even making aesthetic decisions on a whim while I'm forging) that fulfills my own sense of creativity.“ While he makes carefully crafted reproductions, Lucas will also display some of his original contemporary pieces.
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Michael Radu comes from an artistic Romanian family that moved to the US when he was a child. He joined his father in operating a foundry to cast art and architectural commissions, but moved to the Catskills to raise his family and create his own business. His original works are mostly in steel, and in other metals, and are a surprise as folk art because they are consciously mid-20 century in style. His chair and side table, as well as his sculpture, would fit into the 20th century glass houses that epitomized the modernist style.
Musician Figure, made from musical instruments by John Jackson
John Jackson did not anticipate being captivated by metal fabrication until he found himself already entranced by it while travelling and visiting an artist who showed him a few of his techniques. Since then self-taught, Jackson has become a prolific creator of figures in metal, but metal that comes from a surprising source: discarded tools, equipment, household utensils, and musical instruments. While he makes outdoor sculptures primarily of animals, his collection of figural sculptures includes mostly two-legged creatures in amusing poses and activities: most memorable are the figures made of musical instruments and ones of musicians playing musical instruments.
Hans Hohn spends most of his energy in his career as a car mechanic, skills he initially gained from his father who started the business. Hans would tell you he is not an artist, but there are surprising things around his shop that show his tendency to make intriguing things. In the Catskills Folk Connection exhibit will be whirly gigs made from Volkswagen Beetle parts. For the rest of his creations pause on the side of Route 28 in Margaretville to see his business sign, made from half a VW Beetle. You may also be able to see a customer waiting area made from the back seat and back end of a Beetle. If you can look more closely (don’t block the business driveway!) there are on office doors Hans’s rope and pulley door closers, with weights also made from VW parts, simple enough to be a modernist design.
For exhibit viewing, Hanford Mills Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am through 4 pm. The address is 51 County Route 12, East Meredith NY 13757. For free admittance to the exhibit, go to the Admissions Office. You may also wish to participate in Museum tours of water-driven wood-working machinery and an overshot water wheel, for which admission is $9.00. Consult the Hanford Mills Museum website for numerous discounts. For more information about tours call the Museum at 607-278-5744. For more about the exhibit “Folk Art in Metal” contact Ginny Scheer at gscheer.mcs@gmail.com.
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