West Virginia Folk Art and History Reimagined from a Contemporary Standpoint

Griffin S. Nordstrom, Dylan Collins
College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Human Engagement

Student’s Major: Sculpture and Art History

There are opportunities for contemporary artists to take inspiration from the folk arts and history of West Virginia to create unique work that connects deeper to a regional audience. This creative work celebrates the deep history and folk art of the Appalachian culture in West Virginia through the use of sculptural arts. In the art community there is little to no work discussing the interaction of this culture with contemporary society or modern art that connects with folk styles and mediums. This creative research fills those gaps by exploring folk media like quilting and salt dough art; working with it in conjunction with highly processed synthetic materials. The artwork discusses a range of West Virginian topics from artists to industries and famous histories like the Mothman legend, to lesser known stories, like the Blennerhassett Mansion. The sculptures reflect a variety of contemporary art styles; such as Pop-Art, pixel-art, and brutalism, and utilizes many creation processes, some very experimental and unique.

Funding: West Virginia SURE program, $230

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a West Virginia SURE program