Folk art lends itself well to this discussion, but several trained artists also work well. Linking real themes of the times to the stories give students the visual connection that they may need. Some artists to consider are listed below. Folk Artists Folk art is self-taught art by the folk, the common people. Most folk artists use whatever materials they find, perhaps using common house paint or colored markers on cardboard, milk jugs, lumber scraps, or driftwood.
Common subjects range from the whimsically abstract to primitive depictions of everyday life.
The African American Museum in Dallas, Texas, has one of the country's most extensive collections of folk art as well as an excellent research library. Both Clementine Hunter and Ellis Ruley are self taught artists who painted with whatever materials they had available. Both also painted scenes they witnessed as they went about their daily lives. Samples of both artists' work can be found on the Internet. Her family eventually moved to the Melrose Plantation where Hunter worked in the fields as a young girl and later worked in the house as a maid and cook.