The folk arts, as defined this way, are created within smaller communities and, in one way or another, serve the purposes of those communities. Folk arts tend to reflect the specific aesthetic standards of the community within which they are created. Finally, folk artists learn their skills within their communities, by means that are sanctioned by that particular community for the learning of that particular art form. Thus western saddle makers and Mexican bakers learn through formal or informal apprenticeship, while quilters and Ukrainian Easter egg makers usually learn by working with and observing older relatives. There are many exciting, untrained, highly individualistic artists all over the United States, but they are not folk artists in the sense I am using the term.
Tradition is just as important as community.
Likewise, low rider cars may be using contemporary materials, but they are assembled according to a baroque aesthetic that has been in place in Mexican culture since the 18th Century. True, some forms of folk art are appealing to collectors and museums, but this appeal does not often enter into the minds of the artists. You are visitor since this exhibit went public in May 1995.