Michael Noland, Illinois - MEET THE COLLECTOR Series Part Twenty Six

I have never met Michael Noland, but I was told about him, his collection and his art by others in this field. So for ‘meet the collector’ part twenty six I happily introduce you to Michael and the work and artists that inspire him. He visited many artists in this field across the United States from 1980 onwards, but he was never influenced to change his style in any way - it was a spiritual experience for him to meet and talk with artists that were making art for themselves, not the art market.

Michael and Cindy Noland. Photo credit: Raw Vision

1. When did your interest in the field of outsider/folk art begin?
In 1980 I first became aware of what was at that time called Folk Art. I saw an article in Life magazine about self-taught artists including Elijah Pierce. It was exciting for me because I knew that in a few months I would be moving to Columbus, Ohio for graduate school. When I got to Columbus I called Mr. Pierce and he invited me to come over to his barber shop. That was the beginning of a passionate journey for this art that continues to this day, forty years later.

2. When did you become a collector of this art?  How many pieces do you think are in your collection now?
In 1980, I bought a stone carving of Elvis by E. “Popeye” Reed. It was the first piece of art I bought and I remember thinking how blessed I was to live with a piece of art. It was so exciting. Shortly after that I started traveling the United States to visit many of the artists I collected in the beginning. I also took hundreds of photos and did audio recordings of most of the artists. At that time, video cameras were new and expensive. I spent many hours with these artists and they inspired me with my own work. I was never influenced to change my style in any way. But it was a spiritual experience to meet and talk with artists that were making it for themselves, not the art market. I would guess that I have around 300+ pieces of art in my collection. Some of it is in storage so I find myself rotating and rearranging a lot.

Photo credit: Raw Vision

3. Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I grew up in rural Oklahoma as a child. I never saw any artwork growing up except for quilts my Grandmother made. Most of my family were working class people who also grew a lot of their own food. Somehow early on I knew I wanted to be artist but had never really met one, or seen paintings in person. It was only when I got into college that I began to paint and travel to museums. Seeing art in the “flesh” at museums changed my life.

4. What is it that draws your eye away from contemporary art to outsider/folk art? Or do you collect both?
I collect both. My house is filled with a mixture of contemporary art, mostly friends work and Outsider/Folk art. What interest me about any art is the vision and passion of each artist. Excellence is a rare thing but it is very important to me as a collector. I am only interested in great and spiritual art. My collection reflects that search for excellence.

5. What style of work, if any, is of particular interest to you within this field? (for example is it embroidery, drawing, sculpture, and so on)
I am a painter but for some reason I am very attracted to sculpture. I have paintings in my collection of course but I almost have a fetish for carving. Somehow the sculpture enriches my mind and influences my paintings. It is kind of crazy how it works for me.

Photo credit: Raw Vision

6. Would you say you had a favourite artist or piece of work within your collection? And why? 
My two favorite artists are Martin Ramirez and Adolf Wolfli. It has taken me many years but I am now fortunate enough to live with their work. I love how they both use patterning and incredible compositions in their drawings. For me my relationship to them is a spiritual one. They inspire me to make great art. I always tell young collectors that is amazing how living with art changes your life, it enriches it in ways that are impossible to describe.

7. Is there an exhibition in this field of art that you have felt has been particularly important? And why?
In 1982, I saw the “Black Folk Art In America” show and it changed my life. I had known about a few of the artists but to see the whole exhibit was mind blowing. That exhibit more than any other changed the world of Outsider/Folk art collecting. Many people started traveling around the country to meet these artists and collect their work. Galleries also started showing this self-taught work which in turn raised its importance in the art world. It was a very exciting time. I think there were only about 40 or 50 collectors interested in this art forty years ago. It is amazing to see how it has become a world-wide phenomenon now. Of course, now it is very popular, as it should be, but in the beginning it was mostly artists that got it.

8. Where would you say you buy most of your work from: a studio, art fairs, exhibitions, auctions, or direct from artists? And do you exhibit any of it on the walls of your home or office?
In the early days I bought things directly from the artist as I traveled around and met them. But it soon became apparent that in order to have pieces by deceased artists that I admired I had to start collecting from galleries. Today I mostly find the quality of work I am looking for with galleries. But I still love to go to flea markets and sometimes I get lucky and find a treasure there. I am friends with many collectors and at times have traded with them to expand my horizons, so to speak.

Photo credit: Raw Vision

9. I have heard that you are an artist in your own right. Can you tell us about your art, how long you’ve been doing it and where you have exhibited it?
I had my first one-person show in 1984. I have been fortunate enough to show my work continually since that time in galleries all over America. I now show with The Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee and The Hofheimer Gallery in Chicago. Years before that I showed with the  Carl Hammer Gallery who shows both self-taught and contemporary artists together.

10. A conflicted term at present, but can you tell us about your opinion of the term outsider art, how you feel about it and if there are any other words that you think we should be using instead?
Outsider Art. How did this become such an inclusive term? In 1980 when I first became aware of this art it was called Folk Art by most people. For many years that is how it was referred to in America. Eventually Outsider Art became the common term to refer to anything from American Folk Art to the art of the insane. Moving forward I would like to use the term Self-taught. It seems more honest to me and maybe less confusing to collectors and dealers. I love this art and have been collecting it for a long time. But even a veteran like me can be confused by what is now referred to as Outsider Art. 

Adolf Wolfli