The art of Kevin Blythe Sampson

THE ART OF
KEVIN BLYTHE SAMPSON

5/8/14

DETOUR:SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS AT THE NOYES MUSEUM

The Noyes Museum of Art of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
733 Lily Lake Rd, Oceanville, NJ
08231 • 609
-652-8848 •
www.noyesmuseum.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:Nicole
Ellis, Visual Communications Manager
April29, 2014
publicrelations@noyesmuseum.org
(609) 652-8848 ext. 305
DETOUR:SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS AT THE NOYES MUSEUM
Artists present their own personal universe and a pure
desire to create
OCEANVILLE (GALLOWAY TWP.), NJ
The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton College presents
Detour
a group exhibition showcasing American self-taught artists
from the region
from
May 16
through
September 21, 2014.
An opening reception
is planned for
June 6,5:00-8:00pm.
For more information call
(609) 652-8848 or visit
www.noyesmuseum.org
.
Self-taughtart typically refers to artwork that is created by artists who do not have any formal training.It is direct, honest, and accessible to the viewer. It is art straight from the soul.
 
This unique exhibition has been
assembled from The Noyes Museum’s
permanent collection, as well as galleries and private collections.
There are a range of personal histories of the artists represented in the exhibition.
However,what they do have in common is that they are not trained in an academic fashion.
It is theidea that is of most importance.
Self-taught artists follow their own intuition—
their own need to create.It is their pure, organic, and sincere
approach to the work that imbues it with powerful resonance.
The work presented holds n
ational importance and local relevance.
 
Acclaimed artists including Malcah Zeldis,
Minnie Evans, Victor Gatto, and New Jersey artists A
lbert Hoffmann, Janice Fenimore, Quinton Greene,
and Kevin Blythe Sampson 
pack the exhibition with raw emotion and visual intrigue.
 
Hoffman, born in
Philadelphia,moved to Abseconwhere heoperated a junkyard with his uncle.Entirelyself-
taught, Hoffman carved wooden reliefs and free standing sculptures of American life.
It was common to seeHoffman on theboardwalk in Atlantic City with an audience gathered around him
admiring the dramatic scale and forth right clarity of his carved images.
 
Janice Fenimore, of Madison, New Jersey, taught herself how to use woodworking tools after
she raised her two children.
She began by working with traditional designs from early America
n crafters, making wood carvings
and then painting them. Her interest in whirligigs inspired her to bring her work into the third-dimension.
Fenimore’s pieces are found in the permanent collections of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, Newark Museum, and The Smithsonian Institution/Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.
 
Kevin Sampson, born in Elizabeth, NJ, grew up in a household devoted to civil rights and community concerns.
For years, Sampson served as a police sketch artist and took early
retirement after the death of his infant son and his wife. He utilized art as not only a release, but as a different way of providing service to his community. The creation of these sculptures are quite unique, involving molding, cementing, painting over, sometimes
concealing, or never revealing the items used such as animal bones, chili peppers, hair, jewelry, tile, wax and pieces of wood.
 
This exhibition challenges and surprises the viewer at every turn. The unique works prove why self-taught art is now a global phenomenon.
These passionate artists create powerful works that can stand alongside the best of
modern and contemporary art.

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