Self-Taught, Folk, and Outsider Art

While many artists throughout the history of art have received formal training in art practice and making, this is by no means the case for all artists. For various reasons, including lack of access due to race, class, and/or gender, in addition to factors such as physical, mental, and developmental disabilities as well as cultural norms, numerous artists have established art practices without a formal art education. While much has been written about the so-called “naïveté” and child-like spontaneity of self-taught, folk, and Outsider artists, a new wave of scholarship is emerging that sheds light on these artist’s innovations, mastery, and contributions to art history.