The Plantation

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although landscapes by folk artists usually depict particular locations, the layout of the plantation shown here appears to be generic and conceptual. The composition is roughly symmetrical; vegetation functions as a decorative fringe; and considerations of line and pattern overrule the description of reality. As the artist’s technique seems to simulate the stitches of embroidery, he or she may have based the painting on a needlework design.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art