Robbins, "Folk Sculpture without Folk;" Ames, "Outsider Art;" and the Articles on Leman and Darger

In the articles "Folk Sculpture with out Folk," and "Outsider Art," Robbins and Ames discuss the issues and how society views and defines "Outsider Art." Art is all around us and can be found or defined as just about anything. The table in our class room, the chairs we sit in, the staircases in the Johnson Center, as well as the pictures and photographs that hang on our walls, they are all considered art. Granted they are not all accepted as art, someone could define them as it. So trying to pin-point some category for "Outsider Art," seems almost impossible to me. What is "Outsider Art?"
Robbins discussed folk art and how it serves as a basis for the culture in our society. He focused on traditions and how they are connected to art, how people think about folk art after the modern art movement, and the different ways folk art is precieved in our society.
Ames discussed "outsider art," and how it is damaging the art experience. The term "outsider art," becomes a stereotype and causes the art to get categorized. She talked about how when people use the stereotype and categorize art, they are not being in the experience of art itself.

The websites that were also on the list for today's readings were very interesting. Jonathan Leman's drawings of human faces and features was very interesting. The messy shading and guesture like lines draw the viewer into the distorted images. Very Interesting concept.
Henry Darger I found a little simpler. His drawings of human figures were simple with no background and flat shades of color.
Very different from Leman's who were only in black and white, with wildly distorted features.