Section III: The Institutionalization of Outsider Art

In reviewing the body of literature surrounding the occurrence of outsider art it’s interesting to note that critical discourse on the subject, now encompassing three decades of reflection, appears for the most part to remain anchored in the charged polemics of precise definition and appropriate nomenclature. While these arguments should not be discounted, as they mark an impassioned and intellectual engagement that contributes to the legitimization of their subject, their preoccupation tends to lead towards a collective impasse. As debate over the precision of distinctions continues, important issues regarding the artists, their artwork, and the eventual, if unintended audience are frequently overlooked. At times, the aesthetic theorist Kenneth L. Ames argues, this narrowing of focus is conscious, perpetrated by “advocates and apologists” intent on “shaping or impeding understanding” in the service of particular critical positions (Ames 1994:255). For the most part, however, the failure to examine outsider art from a broad perspective is the result, according to Ames, of the “myopia associated with overspecialization” (Ames 1994:255). By overemphasizing the necessity of an exact terminology, the consideration of the artists’ intention, choice, and process— all key elements in the discussion of mainstream artistic endeavor— are lost, and as a result, the uniquely expressive voice of the outsider is silenced.

Perhaps then, it may be time to move past the project of defining and classifying outsider art in overarching terms for two reasons: first, as instances of outsider art continue to permeate mainstream and academic consciousness, we will continue to need a way to talk about these anomalous objects in a tone that recognizes their unique qualities, and second, it is important to acknowledge the possibility of a more practical, even progressive approach to outsider production by shifting attention to the organizations and institutions directly responsible for not only the collection and care of outsider art, but the way in which it is presented to, and recieved by the public.

Posted by admin on April 6th, 2007 | Filed in outsider art | Comment now »

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