Nova Scotia Folk Art

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This catalogue was designed for the “Nova Scotia Folk Art: Canada’s
Cultural Heritage” exhibition, which traveled to England and Scotland
in 1989–90. Like any art, the collection embodies the spirit of its
makers. And like most folk art, it is fresh, original, highly
imaginative, and often whimsical—humor is alive and well among modern
Nova Scotians. Though some of the artists are unknown, the majority are
named and included in the catalogue’s List of Works (total 98) and
Biographical Notes on the artists.

The media the artists used range from wood or metal to a hooked rug or
a sampler (it is good to see these ancient arts from women’s hands
given their due). My favorites include “Blackie” (1870, artist
unknown), the carving of a sturdy farmhorse; “Square Dance” by
Charlie Tanneran, an intricate, brightly painted carving of 16 figures;
and Albert Lohnes’s whimsical “Crocheted Armchair” with black and
blue stripes and a unique personality.

The text is provided by Bernard Riordon, director of the Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia and curator of the exhibit. But most of the intriguing
catalogue is made up of photographs of the folk art, a few in color. The
imagination and ingenuity caught in these pieces know no bounds.