34 Years of Folk Art Society Conferences

#1: 1988 – Richmond, Va.

• Chairman: John Morgan and Ann Oppenhimer
• Speaker: Herbert W. Hemphill Jr.
• Exhibition: Folk Art Jubilation: Eleven Folk Artists from Virginia, North Carolina & West Va.
• Notable: 450 people attended the opening. A $6,000 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts gave the Folk Art Society its financial start.

#2: 1989 – Waverly, Va.

• Chairman: Shirley Yancey and Chris Gregson
• Speakers: Chris Gregson, Barry Cohen, Nancy Karlins Thoman, Bruce Koplin
• Exhibition: 100 Miles: The 100th Anniversary of Miles Carpenter’s Birth
• Award of Distinction: Howard Finster
• Notable: Held at Miles Carpenter’s Home, a museum now designated a National Folk Art Site.

#3: 1990 – Washington, D.C.

• Chairmen: Chris Gregson and Patricia Lorenz
• Speaker: Elaine Eff
• Exhibition: Made with Passion: the Hemphill Folk Art Collection at National Museum of American Art (NMAA)
• Award of Distinction: Herbert W. Hemphill Jr.
• Notable: Held in conjunction with NMAA Symposium on the Hemphill Collection, with Jon Serl, guest artist.

#4: 1991 – Chicago, Ill.

• Chairmen: Jim Arient and Robert Vogele
• Speakers: Russell Bowman; Panel of Mr. Imagination, Prophet Blackmon, Derek Webster and David Philpot, moderated by Frank Lewis
• Exhibition: Personal Voice: Outsider Art and Signature Style
• Award of Distinction: Robert Bishop (posthumously)
• Notable: A raffle was the predecessor of the FASA auction in subsequent years.

#5: 1992 – Los Angeles, Calif.

• Chairman: John Turner
• Speakers: Willem Volkersz, Bud Goldstone (Watts Towers), Seymour Rosen (SPACES), Allie Light and Irvin Saraf (Light/Saraf Films), Gregg Blasdel, Barbara Brackman (Kansas Grassroots Art Association), Janice Wilson (Bottle Village)
• Exhibition: Parallel Visions: Modern Artists and Outsider Art at LA Co. Museum of Art
• Award of Distinction: Seymour Rosen
• Notable: Visits to Watts Towers, Bottle Village (both designated National Folk Art Sites), Gene Autry Museum of Western Art

#6: 1993 – New Orleans, La.

• Chairmen: Alice Yelen, Kurt Gitter, Warren and Sylvia Lowe
• Speakers: 15-hour symposium produced by New Orleans Museum of Art
• Exhibition: Passionate Visions of the American South at New Orleans Museum of Art
• Award of Distinction: Minnie Adkins
• Notable: FASA’s first auction, held in Lafayette, La., with music by Grammy-Award-Winning D. L. Menard’s Cajun Band.

#7: 1994 – Santa Fe, N. M.

• Chairmen: Chuck and Jan Rosenak
• Speakers: Jane Connell, Genevieve Roulin (Collection de l’Art Brut), Panel of Leroy Archuleta, Nicholas Herrera, Christine McHorse, Ted Coe, Stuart Ashman and Moderator JoAnne Balzer
• Exhibition: Diversity of Expression: New Mexico Folk Art at N. M. Capitol.
• Awards of Distinction: Warren and Sylvia Lowe, Felipe (posthumously) and Leroy Archuleta
• Notable: Elijah Piece exhibition at Museum of International Folk Art.

#8: 1995 – Atlanta, Ga.

• Chairmen: Marshall Hahn and Randy Siegel
• Speakers: Joanne Cubbs, Lynda Hartigan, Lonnie Holley and Richard Powell (Duke University)
• Exhibition: Dust Tracks on a Road: Four Southern Artists at High Museum of Art
• Awards of Distinction: Ned Cartledge, Chuck and Jan Rosenak
• Notable: Gospel brunch at Mary Mac’s Tea Room

#9: 1996 – Birmingham, Ala.

• Chairman: Georgine Clarke
• Speakers: Gerard Wertkin, Rebecca Hoffberger, Gail Trechsel
• Exhibition: Kentuck Festival of the Arts
• Awards of Distinction: Gerard Wertkin, Clyde Jones
• Notable: Howard Finster, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Charlie Lucas and many other artists displayed their art at Kentuck.

#10: 1997 – Milwaukee, Wis.

• Chairman: Russell Bowman
• Speakers: Michael Hall, Russell Bowman, Jeffrey Hayes, Lisa Stone, Tony Rajer, Lynne Browne
• Exhibition: The Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum; Personal Vision: Self-Taught Art from the Ruth & Robert Vogele Collection
• Awards of Distinction: Mr. Imagination, Flo and Jules Laffal
• Notable: Purvis Young sketching in the hotel lobby.

#11: 1998 – Houston, Tex.

• Chairmen: John and Stephanie Smither, Susanne Theis
• Speakers: Lynne Adele, Alvia Wardlaw, Hector Benavides, Carl Dixon, David Strickland, Murray Smither, Bruce & Julie Webb
• Exhibitions: Charles Dellschau at Menil Collection; Orange Show
• Awards of Distinction: Rev. Johnnie Hunter, Marilyn Oshman, Lynda Hartigan
• 1st Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Hector Benavides drawing given to University of Texas at Austin.
• Notable: Auction raised more than $35,000, held at Marilyn Oshman’s home.

#12: 1999 – Lexington/Morehead, Ky.

• Chairman: Dick Wenstrup
• Speakers: Gerard Wertkin; musicologists John Harrod and Alan Jabbour
• Exhibition: An Eden of Their Own: Charlie, Noah and Hazel Kinney at Kentucky Folk Art Center
• Awards of Distinction: Linvel and Lillian Barker (posthumously); Alan Jabbour
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Tim Lewis sculpture to Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts
• Notable: Square dancing to John Harrod’s band with fiddler Alan Jabbour sitting in.

#13: 2000 – San Diego, Calif.

• Chairman: Larry Kent
• Speakers: Grace Johnson, Larry Kent, Janet Brody Esser, Rick Bell, Bud Goldstone
• Exhibition: Mingei International Museum
• Awards of Distinction: Bud Goldstone and Ted Gordon
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: 2 Ted Gordon drawings to Oakland Museum of California
• Notable: Visit to Salvation Mountain, designated a National Folk Art Site.

#14: 2001 – Richmond, Va.

• Chairmen: Tom and Donna Brumfield
• Speakers: Johnson Bowles, Babatunde Lawal, Jeffrey Hayes
• Exhibition: Point of View: Folk Art from the William and Ann Oppenhimer Collection at University of Richmond; Personal Recollection: FASA Members’ Collections at Meadow Farm Museum
• Awards of Distinction: Peggy Baggett (VCA); Shirley Yancey, Tony Rajer, Georgia Blizzard
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Georgia Blizzard sculpture given to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Williamsburg, Va.
• Notable: Exactly one month after 9/11, Seventeen New Yorkers attended

#15: 2002 – Savannah, Ga.

• Chairman: Joe Adams
• Speakers: Carroll Greene, Judith McWillie, Gary Fine
• Exhibitions: Ulysses Davis at the Beach Institute
• Awards of Distinction: Betty-Carol Sellen, John Smither (posthumously) & Stephanie Smither, Lorenzo Scott
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Lorenzo Scott “Christ on the Cross” to Morris Museum; “Empty Road” by Howard Finster to Columbus Museum of Art.
• Notable: Visit to Gullah Settlement, St. Helena

#16: 2003 – St. Louis, Mo.

• Chairman: John Foster
• Speakers: Maude Southwell Wahlman, John Foster, Terry Nowell, Ken Anderson
• Exhibition: Joseph Garlock Paintings
• Awards of Distinction: Maude S. Wahlman, Ralph Lanning
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Thor” by Ralph Lanning to Springfield Art Museum
• Notable: Visit to the Pulitzer Museum and St. Louis Museum of Art

#17: 2004 – Oakland, Calif.

• Chairmen: Tom di Maria and Ann Oppenhimer
• Speakers: Robert Adkins, Katherine Sherwood, Stephen Walrod, Thomas Roske, Lucienne Peiry, John Killacky, Philip Linares, Cheryl Rivers, John Perreault, Frank Maresca, Bonnie Grossman, Phyllis Kind.
• Exhibition: Creative Growth Artists
• Awards of Distinction: Irene Brydon, Artists of Creative Growth, John Foster, Lee Kogan
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Sculpture by Judith Scott to Oakland Museum of California
• Notable: Visits to Oakland Museum, NIAD, Creativity Explored and Clayton Bailey’s Environment

#18: 2005 – Chicago

• Chairman: Bill Glennon
• Speakers: Connie Gibbons, Russell Bowman, Lisa Stone, Michael Noland
• Exhibition: Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art
• Awards of Distinction: Russell Bowman and Stanley Szwarc
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Big Blue Rooster” by Minnie Adkins and Herman Peters to Benedictine University, Courtesy Bill and Ruthe Glennon
• Notable: Visits to studios of Stanley Szwarc, Matt Lamb and Michael Noland.

#19: 2006 – Phoenix

• Chairman: Caralee Allsworth
• Speakers: Tricia Loscher, Ron Gasowski, Stephen Vollmer
• Exhibitions: Heard Museum and Tucson Museum of Art
• Awards of Distinction: Nicholas Herrera and Peter Cecere
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Trucking Through Perdition” by Nicholas Herrera to Arizona State University (with assistance of Herrera and Cline Fine Art)
• Notable: Visit to Guadalupe Cemetery of the Yaqui Nation, Tempe, Ariz.

#20: 2007 – Louisville, Ky.

• Chairman: Bill Glennon
• Speakers: Mary Bryan Hood, Kevin O’Brien, Matt Collinsworth, Scott Scarboro
• Exhibitions: Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
• Awards of Distinction: Mary Bryan Hood, Tim Lewis, Marvin Finn (posthumously) and Bill Glennon
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Adam and Eve” by Tim Lewis to Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.
• Notable: Visit to Mohammad Ali Center and Louisville Slugger Factory. Nek Chand’s Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, designated as an International Folk Art Site.

#21: 2008 – Washington, D. C.

• Chairman: Betty-Carol Sellen
• Speakers: Liza Kirwin, Virginia Mecklenburg, William Christenberry
• Exhibition: Smithsonian American Art Museum’s folk art collection
• Awards of Distinction: Malcah Zeldis and Rebecca Hoffberger
• Hemphill Art Purchase Awards: Devil Face Jug by Albert Hodge to SAAM; Malcah Zeldis painting and David Zeldis drawing to American Visionary Art Museum; Finster serigraph to Longwood University from Thomas Scanlin
• Notable: Visits to AVAM, National Museum of the American Indian

#22: 2009 – St. Petersburg, Fla.

• Chairmen: Tom and Donna Brumfield, assisted by Ted and Jean Weiller and Randall Lott and Nancy McCall.
• Speakers:Jennifer Hardin, Gary Monroe and Susan Crawley
• Exhibition: Florida Collects at Museum of Fine Art, St. Petersburg
• Awards of Distinction: Tom and Donna Brumfield, Lynne Browne, Randall Lott, Nancy McCall, Jack Beverland, Ruby Williams and Purvis Young
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “I Will Climb This Mountain” by Ruby Williams to Museum of Fine Art, St. Petersburg
• Notable: Visits to Tampa and Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fla.

#23: 2010 – Santa Fe, N. M.

• Chairman: Deborah Quirk; Co-Chairman: Mary Mitchell
• Speakers: Andrea Fisher; Margarete Bagshaw; Panel of Nicholas Herrera, Arthur Lopez, Marie Romero Cash; Moderated by Kirk Ellis.
• Exhibition: Museum of International Folk Art permanent collection
• Awards of Distinction: Marcia Muth, Sabinita Ortiz, Susan Crawley
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Tree of Life” by Sabinita Ortiz to Longwood University
• Notable: Visit to Taos Pueblo cancelled by Taos tribal event

#24: 2011 – Richmond, Va.

• Chairmen: Ann Oppenhimer and Johnson Bowles
• Speakers: Richard Guy Wilson; Panel of Eldridge Bagley, J. J. Cromer, Mildred “Gentle Rain” Moore, moderated by Leisa Rundquist
• Exhibition: Three-Ring Circus: William and Ann Oppenhimer Folk Art Collection at Longwood University
• Awards of Distinction: Kathy Johnson Bowles, Ray Kass, Eldridge Bagley
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: Drawing by J. J. Cromer to University of Richmond; Finster serigraph from Thomas Scanlin to Old Dominion University
• Notable: Visits to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia State Capitol and Monticello

#25: 2012 – Atlanta, Ga.

• Chairmen: Susan Crawley, Lynne and Jim Browne
• Speakers: John Burrison; Dale Couch; “Future of Paradise Garden,” Panel with Janet Byington, Jordan Poole, Thomas Scanlin; Moderated by Margaret Browne
• Exhibitions: High Museum of Art Folk Art Collection
• Awards of Distinction: William Arnett, Thornton Dial Sr., Georgine Clarke (posthumously)
• Hemphill Art Purchase Award: “Guitar Man” by Mr. Imagination, jointly with Lynne and Jim Browne to High Museum of Art; Finster serigraph from Thomas Scanlin to Georgia Museum of Art
• National Folk Art Sites Designated: Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden
• Notable: Visits to Dahlonega, Athens (Georgia Museum of Art), Gainesville and Madison, Ga.

#26: 2013 – Raleigh, NC.

• Co-Chairmen: William and Ann Oppenhimer
• Auction Chairmen: Randall Lott & Nancy McCall
• Raleigh Committee: Jay Althouse, Dudley and Lisa Anderson, Roger Manley, Jenny Moore, David Steel, Corinne Wolfrom
• FASA Committee: Jim Sellman, Barbara Hassett, Tina Cox, Chuck & Judy Goodstein, Francis Thompson, William & Ann Oppenhimer, David Whaley
• Speakers: Jenny Moore, Project Manager of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park; Roger Manley, Director, Gregg Museum of Art and Design, NC State University; William Ferris, Professor of History, UNC, “Voices of the Mississippi Blues”; Bernard Herman, Professor of American Studies, UNC, “Lonnie Holley: Words and Objects.”
• Awards of Distinction:Jenny Moore, Roger Manley, Bernard Herman, William Ferris and Vollis Simpson (posthumously)
• Hemphill Memorial Award: Donation for the restoration of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
• National Folk Art Sites Designated:
  1. Clyde Jones’ Critter Crossing, Bynum, N.C.
  2. Anderson Johnson Gallery, Downing-Gross Cultural Center, Newport News, Va.
• Notable: Visit to Seagrove, N.C., potters.

#27: 2014 – Columbus, OH

• Chairman: Duff Lindsay
• Auction Chairmen: Randall Lott & Nancy McCall
• Columbus Committee: Michael Hall, Nanette Maciejunes, John Moe, Mark Chepp.
• FASA Committee: Jim Sellman, Barbara Hassett, Tina Cox, Vali Braselton, Cindy Solesbee, Chuck & Judy Goodstein, William & Ann Oppenhimer.
• Symposium Speakers: Nanette Maciejunes, Director, Columbus Museum of Art; John Moe, Professor of English and Folklore Studies, Ohio State University; Mark Chepp, Director, Southern Ohio Museum; Michael Hall, Curator of Folk Art, Columbus Museum of Art.
• Exhibition: “Counterpoint: Works by Folk and Self-Taught Artists at the Columbus Museum of Art.”
• Awards of Distinction: Michael Hall (scholar); Janis Price (artist); John Hoar, designer of Folk Art Messenger since 1997.
• National Folk Art Site Designated: Hartman Rock Garden, Springfield, OH.
• Hemphill Memorial Award: “The Old Simpson Place at Night,” by Janis Price presented to the Columbus Museum of Art. “Bath Time” by Janis Price, presented by Duff Lindsay to the Columbus Museum of Art.
• Notable: Visit to Springfield, OH, and Folk Art Scholarship Awarded to Merrileigh Rutherford, University of Memphis.

#28: 2015 – Memphis, TN

• Chairman: Carol Crown
• Auction Chairman: Randall Lott
• Memphis Committee: Richard Ranta, Briget Mirza, John Jerit, Marina Pacini
• FASA Committee: Tina Cox, Cindy Solesbee, Vali Braselton, Mary K. McDonald, Chuck & Judy Goodstein, Beverley Roberts, William and Ann Oppenhimer
• Symposium Speakers: Jack Soden (CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises), David Evans (Director of Ethnomusicology/Regional Studies at the University of Memphis School of Music), Judith McWillie (Retired Professor of Art, University of Georgia), and Washington James Harris (Master of the St. James Spiritual Holy Temple in Memphis)
• Exhibition: “Memphis Collects” at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis.
• Awards of Distinction: Margaret Day Allen, Carol Crown and Cheryl Rivers (scholars); Edwin Jeffery Jr. of Memphis and John Williams of Winchester, Mass. (artists)
• National Folk Art Site Designated: Billy Tripp’s Mindfield in Brownsville, Tenn
• Hemphill Memorial Award: “Mine,” sculpture by Edwin Jeffery Jr., presented to the Art Museum of the University of Memphis
• FASA Scholarship Award: Emma Silverman, University of California, Berkeley
• Notable: Visits to John and Susan Jerit’s Home and to Elvis Presley’s Graceland

#29: 2016 – St. Petersburg, FL

• Chairmen: Tom and Donna Brumfield
• Committee: Tina Cox, Cindy Solesbee, Vali Braselton, Terri and Allen Johnson, Jim Sweeny, Mary K. McDonald, Barbara and Jim Sellman, William and Ann Oppenhimer
• Symposium Speakers: Kristin Congdon – “Florida Folk Art: Landscapes and Dreamscapes”; George Lowe – “My Life as an Artist”; Ann Oppenhimer – “The Folk Art of Cuba”
• Exhibition: “From the Heart: Folk Art on Paper,” at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
• Awards of Distinction: Mary Proctor, Tallassee Fla., Artist; George Lowe, Lakeland, Fla., Artist and Collector; John Schloder, Former Director, MFA, St. Petersburg; Jennifer Hardin, Former Curator, MFA, St. Petersburg; Kristin Congdon, Professor Emerita, University of Central Florida
• Folk Art Site Designated: Jose Fuster’s Fusterlandia, Jaimanitas, Cuba
• Hemphill Memorial Award: Lonnie Holley Sculpture to MFA, St. Petersburg
• FASA Scholarship Award: Lauren Kolodkin
• Notable: Visit to Home of Mort and Sara Richter

#30: 2017 – Santa Fe, N.M.

• Chairs: Betty-Carol Sellen and Marti Burt.
• Committee: Randall Lott, Tina Cox, Vali Braselton, Cindy Solesbee, Mary K. McDonald, Jim and Barbara Sellman, Terri and Allen Johnson, Eluid Martinez, William and Ann Oppenhimer.
• Symposium Speakers: Jeff Snell, International Folk Art Alliance; Felicia Katz-Harris, MOIFA; Laura Addison, MOIFA.
• Exhibition: “No Idle Hands: The Myths and Meanings of Tramp Art,” Museum of International Folk Art
• Awards of Distinction: Arthur Lopez, Artist; Eluid Levi Martinez, Artist; Jeff Snell, Peggy Gaustad, Tina Cox, James Sellman, William Oppenhimer.
• Hemphill Memorial Art Award: “Tree of Life” by Sabinita Lopez Ortiz to Museum of International Folk Art.
• FASA Scholarship Award: Natalie Burke, University of Pennsylvania.
• Notable: Visits to 8 Collectors’ Homes and Artists’ Studios.

#31, 2018 – Oaxaca, Mexico

• Chairman: Peggy Gaustad
• Committee: Ann Oppenhimer, Barbara & Jim Sellman, Clair & Rob Hamner
• Speakers: Diego Mier y Teran, Co-Founder, Innovando La Tradicion, Oaxaca, and Ana Paula Fuentes, Founding Director, Museo de Textiles, Oaxaca.
• Exhibition: Museo Culturas de Oaxaca
• Award of Distinction: The Aguilar Family of Ocotlan, Oaxaca
• Notable: Visit to Monte Alban (500 BC-750 AD), 6 artists and 4 collectors.

#32 – 2019 – Nova Scotia

• Chairman: Mary K. McDonald
• Committee: Ann Oppenhimer, Judy Burch, Sue Kelly, Nancy Margeson, Sheila Woodcock
• Speakers: Alan Deacon and Virginia Stephen
• Exhibition: “Maud Lewis” at Art Museum of Nova Scotia, Halifax
• Awards of Distinction: Sue Kelly and the Nova Scotia Folk Art Society, Mary K. McDonald, Conference Chairman
• Notable: Visit to artists Barry Colpitts’ and Bradford Naugler’s homes. Artists’ Fair at St. John’s Anglican Church, Lunenburg

#33 – 2022 – Charleston, S.C.

• Chairs: Terri Johnson and Alex Patrick
• Committee: Randall Lott, Tina Cox, William & Ann Oppenhimer, Margaret Allen, Allen Johnson, Emelia Stephenson, Vali Braselton, Cindy Solesbee, Amy Fordham, Clair Hamner, Sandy Toomey.
• Speakers: Paul Matheny, Philip Wingard, Dale Rosengarten, Nakia Wigfall, Victoria Smalls.
• Exhibition: Scott Blackwell & Ann Marshall’s folk-art collection at High Wire Distilling.
• Awards of Distinction: Winton & Rosa Eugene, Artists. Terri Johnson & Alex Patrick, Conference Chairs.
• Notable: Visits to homes of Dan & Marty Boone and Marty & Julie Klaper on Spring Island, Okatie.
• Hemphill Memorial Art Award: “Generations,” stoneware pitcher, 2022, by Winton & Rosa Eugene, presented to the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC.

#34 – 2023 – Richmond, Va.

• Chairmen: William and Ann Oppenhimer.
• Committee: Randall Lott, Tina Cox, Vali Braselton, David Jones, John & Mary Helen Willett, Barbara Grey, Pari Valad, Vernon Carter, Mary K. McDonald, Brian Sieveking, Allison Vogler, David Whaley, Clair Hamner, Jim & Barbara Sellman.
• Symposium Speakers: Jamie Bosket, Karen Sherry, Valerie Cassel Oliver, Alex Nyerges.
• Awards of Distinction: Barbara Grey, Karen Sherry, Valerie Cassel Oliver, Willie Anne Wright.
• Exhibition: Visionary Virginians: The Folk Art Collection of William and Ann Oppenhimer.
• Hemphill Memorial Art Gift: Georgia Blizzard Sculpture to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
• Notable: Visits to five private collections and five museums.