FILM-RELATED WEBSITES
Henry Darger
American Folk Art Museum: The Contemporary Center
The Henry Darger Study Center was established in 2000 to "foster open inquiry and multidisciplinary research into the life and work of the Chicago artist." Nathan Lerner's widow, Kiyoko Lerner, donated Darger's personal archive -- including diaries, correspondence, notebooks, studies, tracings, photographs, books, and paper ephemera -- and the manuscripts and typescripts of his vast literary works to the American Folk Art Museum.
Galerie St. Etienne
This New York City art gallery focuses on work by outsider artists. They also serve as Darger's east coast representatives. Their website includes a biography, clickable images in the inventory section (that feature the zoomify option available in the audio tour in Special Features) and excellent essays and articles in the exhibitions section.
Andrew Edlin Gallery
Henry Darger is among the outsider artists shown at Andrew Edlin Gallery. Read his biography, look through the chronology of his posthumous solo exhibitions and scroll through images of some of his artwork.
Carl Hammer Gallery
This Chicago art gallery specializes in the works of outsider artists. Several large Darger paintings represented by Carl Hammer Gallery are on view. Read an excerpt from A Personal Recollection by Nathan Lerner and a chronology of Darger's life.
New York City Voices: Discussing the Life of a Remarkable Soul
"In the Realms of the Unreal" filmmaker Jessica Yu speaks with New York City Voices, an online journal that focuses on mental health issues, about Henry Darger's life and work. (December 2004)
The Village Voice: The Outsiders
Read a review of John MacGregor's biography entitled, Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal. (April 17-23, 2002)
Salon.com: Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal
This review of John MacGregor's biography asks questions about the state of Darger's mental health and whether he was "basically just a crabby mentally disturbed gentleman or was, as MacGregor once famously said, 'psychologically a serial killer.'" (July 23, 2003)
RESOURCES
Outsider Art
American Folk Art Museum
Established over 40 years ago in 1961, this New York City museum houses over 4,000 works of art spanning 3 centuries. View some of the permanent collection, read an essay entitled "What is folk art?", and access a listing of current and travelling exhibitions.
The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
Intuit is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1991. Their mission "is to promote public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of intuitive and outsider art through a program of education and exhibition. Browse a listing of their permanent collection and exhibits." Read past articles from their publication, Outsider Magazine.
Raw Vision is a quarterly publication on outsider art. Read an article about the characteristics of outsider art, click on an artist's name to discover short biographies of artists, and find books about outsider art in their excellent bibliography.
The Anthony Petullo Collection of Self-Taught & Outsider Art
Located in Milwaukee, WI, the collection is housed in the Buffalo Forum, a non-profit study center and gallery devoted to Outsider and Self-Taught art. The site includes examples of pieces from the collection and a number of essays about the history of outsider art.
American Visionary Art Museum
This Baltimore-based museum website offers information on outsider art, exhibitions and events, as well as educational material and teacher resources.
North Carolina Wesleyan College: Lynch Collection of Outsider Art
Browse through biographies and artworks by outsider artists in the Lynch Collection, many of whom are from North Carolina.
Art Brut Connaissance and Diffusion
Browse this beautiful Flash-based Parisian art gallery's collection, which includes works by Henry Darger.
The Moscow Museum of Outsider Art
Look through images of artworks by outsider Russian artists at this Moscow-based art museum's wbsite.
Outsider Art Fair
The Outsider Art Fair is an annual exhibition and dealer gathering held in New York City.
Also on PBS and NPR
PBS.org Websites
Off the Map
This beautiful and very interactive website takes you on a tour of 10 "backyard paradises" designed by visionary artists from around the world, including Simon Rodia's famous Watts Towers in LA, Ferdinand Cheval's Palais Idéal in France and Howard Finster's Paradise Garden in Summerville, Georgia. Users can watch streaming video, zoom in on the scuptures and create their own "backyard paradises" in clever Flash interactives. The site also features lesson plans, classroom activities and links to other resources on visionary art. (2005)
Art:21
The television series Art:21 focuses exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists in the US. The site includes Education at Art:21, comprised of an online learning library, student art projects and teaching material. (2003)
Egg: The Arts Show
This PBS show is no longer broadcast on PBS, but you can still access streaming video and other features from the amazing Egg website. Check out Made in the USA: Outsider Art Fair, and click on the interview and videos about the fair. The segment titled "Visionary Art" profiles the artists Ken Grimes, Ionel Talpazan and Kenny Perkin. (2002)
KQED: Spark
San Francisco's local PBS station produces this weekly show featuring Bay Area artists. Spark's comprehensive website contains streaming video clips, lesson plans for educators, additional resources and outreach materials. Additionally, you can look up individual artists who have been featured on the program. Each month KQED Interactive visits a number of Bay Area art galleries to check out what's up in the local art scene. In July, they visited the Jack Fischer Gallery, which features on self-taught artists. (2005)
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly: The Legacy of Howard Finster
Many outsider artists' works are inspired by religious beliefs. Howard Finster was one such artist. His drawings and "Paradise Garden" incorporated biblical passages and heralded the return of Jesus to earth. He achieved some fame in the mid-1980s when some of his drawings were featured as cover art on albums by the Talking Heads and REM. This commentary by Norman Girardot reflects on Mr. Finster's work the week of his death. (October 26, 2001)
Think Tank: Is Contemporary Art, Art?
Read a transcript of this Think Tank episode on contemporary art and whether it's reaching new grounds. (2003)
NPR Stories
All Things Considered: "Realms of the Unreal"
Listen to an interview by Jennifer Ludden with Jessica Yu, the filmmaker of "In the Realms of the Unreal." (January 2005)
Morning Edition: Henry Darger Play
Tony Sarabia discusses "Jenny Richie," a play based on Darger's Vivian Girls. (February 2001)
Morning Edition: Outsider Art
David Darcy talks about the growing popularity and market for outsider art and the debate over this class of art. (February 2001)
Morning Edition: Outsider Art Museum
Michele Kelemen reports on the Moscow Museum of Outsider Art, which opened in 2000. (October 2000)