American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum began in nineteen sixty-one with a surprisingly humble origin. At that time, it was essentially a small gallery tucked away in a townhouse above a deli. Despite having no endowment and no initial collection to call its own, the museum grew through gifts and a dedicated focus on self-taught artists. It has since become the premier institution in the country for preserving and displaying works created by individuals who bypassed formal artistic training. You will find objects here ranging from eighteenth-century portraits and intricate quilts to the complex, imaginative worlds of modern self-taught creators.