Elizabeth Denny ’10GSAS is the director of the Outsider Art Fair, an annual exposition of works by self-taught artists. This year’s event, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, runs from March 19–22.
What are some highlights from this year’s fair?
We have several studios that will be showcasing art by people with developmental disabilities. One of the artists, Simone Johnson, exhibited by the gallery Pure Vision Arts, creates detailed, whimsical illustrations of New York City bodegas — cats included — and another, Montrel Beverly, presented by Sage Studio, makes elaborate sculptures out of pipe cleaners. You won’t see these types of exhibitions at most other art fairs.
The Gallery of Everything is showcasing work by South Carolina outsider artist Sam Doyle, who is known for his painted portraits on roofing tin and other metal, and SHRINE Gallery will have a replica of the home and studio of painter Jon Serl. Serl was a vaudeville performer who worked as an actor and voiceover artist for early sound films before turning to painting in his fifties. He was known for living in a disorderly home that he himself described as a “dump.” At the fair, you’ll see Serl’s easel and a recreation of the doodles on his messy kitchen floor. I think seeing his studio gives you a powerful window into his life and environment.
Those are just a few examples of the art on display. Visitors will experience the scope and history of outsider art through artists like Doyle and Serl, and also get a sense of what it means to be a contemporary artist working in this area today.