Gayle Marie Weitz

Contemporary Folk Art Furniture

Fine art/craft, sophisticated/campy, humorous/serious, truth/fiction. . . I enjoy walking the line in my work. Since the mid-80s I have focused on making wooden furniture, mostly cabinets and containers, usually in a series. My personal aesthetic leans toward the functional, with lots of detail and a bit of humor. Being a social activist at heart, I often use my artistic skills to confront problematic issues, reveal truths, and penetrate the cultivated ignorance in society, making art to get people to think, and to question, and maybe even to change. I do this because so much needs to be done, and this is what I can do, with what I’ve got, where I am. I believe in the power of truth, and in the power of education to reveal truths as well as serve as a non-violent catalyst for change. I desire to alleviate unnecessary suffering wherever it occurs -- in humans, animals, and the environment. And, I like to make people smile.

Madison, Wisconsin is where I was born and where I earned my Doctorate and Master’s degrees and Teacher Licensure. I also have an undergraduate degree in psychology/art/philosophy from James Madison University. For over twenty-five years I taught art, from kindergarten through college -- educating others about art (artists and works), in art (processes and techniques) and through art (using art to address issues.) Primarily I was a Professor at Appalachian State University (in Boone, North Carolina) where I also founded and directed The Community Art School at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Currently I live with my cat, Buster, in Putney, Vermont.