Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists

April 10, 2026 to September 13, 2026

At the American Folk Art Museum

Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists takes a critical look at the historical definition of the “self-taught artist” in the United States from the early twentieth century to today. The exhibition examines how artists without academic training have depicted, conceptualized, and identified themselves on their own terms. In doing so, it aims at challenging reductive, long-standing narratives that have cast these artmakers as amateurs or isolated geniuses working out of time, without lineage, influence, or artistic networks.

Joe will be represented by three items: his vest (on exhibit for the first time. A work in progress since the 1980’s), Devil Anse (Hatfield), and Journey to Candyland. Candyland is his latest epic which took 5 years to complete. It is premiering in this show at AFAM.

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