From the self-taught to highly trained, four women express their take on the world outside their windows in a new exhibition titled The Outsider; Outside at Shari Brownfield Fine Art.
Click here to view the exhibition online!
Outsider Art mainly refers to self-taught artists today, but was a term once used to describe works produced beyond the mainstream. “By exploring the work of artists practicing independent of the establishment, we are exposed to new voices. We gain awareness of those creating beyond traditional media, and who are unhindered by cultural norms,” explained Brownfield.
Walking into Shari Brownfield Fine Art’s log cabin on Glenwood Street, one is greeted by soft glowing reflections of local scenes by Jackson Hole photographer Anne Muller (b. 1937), and the intricate detail of Janet Turner’s (1914-1988) masterful multi-process prints of wildlife in its natural habitat. Turn the corner and an explosion of color abounds in the playful works of folk-artist Nellie Mae Rowe (1900-1982) and thoughtful color fields by modernist Sally Michel Avery (1902-2003).
Each artist is inspired by the world outside their windows, and each with a clear and individual point of view. Nellie Mae Rowe grew up picking cotton on the family farm in Georgia, but would sneak away at any moment to find crayons and paper scraps to draw the people, places and animals that sparked her interest. Janet Turner made an illustrious career in printmaking, a format often used by painters as a secondary method of expression, with a deep focus on environmentalism and wildlife. Anne Muller, a self-taught photographer, found a new muse each time she moved around the world, yet always remained inspired by the memory of long nature walks with her grandfather. Sally Michel Avery felt real life references and representation of the outside world provided endless subjects from which to paint, despite the rise of abstract expressionism.
These women are the unconventional artists who didn’t always play by the rules and who have now gained attention in the art world despite not working within its confines. From Nellie Mae Rowe’s much anticipated exhibition at the High Museum in September 2021, to the more than 200 solo shows on 6 continents that Janet Turner has been honored with, we are gaining new voices by recognizing these Outsider Artists. “I’m honored to bring this exhibition to Jackson” says Brownfield, “By extending their boundaries further, we as an audience appreciate a new aesthetic, another point of view.”
Shari Brownfield Fine Art
The Outsider; Outside is on view from May 27 – July 2, 2021.
55 South Glenwood Street, Jackson WY 83001
Open weekdays 9-5 and by appointment.