In conjunction with the 2019 Outsider Art Fair: New York, Powers just dropped, FINDING NORTH—an expansive collection of Outsider and Self-Taught Art. The 98-page online catalog features the work of William Anhang, Forrest Bess, MW Demorest (Kansas State Insane Asylum), Joseph Garlock, Dilmus Hall, Frederick Hastings, Ida Ella Jones, George Morgan, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Miroslav Tichý, Professor Eddie Williams, Anonymous, and others.

In the catalog’s introduction Powers writes, “The subtitle to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo is ‘How One Becomes What One Is.’ Considering Nietzsche’s directive, our title, “Finding North” is a metaphor for finding one’s path in life—one’s truth. The artists herein walked, hiked, climbed (and probably tripped a few times) towards their truth. In doing so, they all left something wondrous behind that helps us understand or consider them in a small or large way and in many cases, their wondrous works aid in our journey—we use their works to assist us in finding our north.”

An exciting discovery is the eleven works by MW Demorest as an inmate at The Kansas State Insane Asylum at Osawatomie. The drawings and letters date to and around 1892 and provide a rare insight into early institutional art.

Also, the collection features ten monotype etchings by Miroslav Tichý. Although Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011) was primarily known and esteemed as a street photographer, he had a remarkable hand for drawing and made etchings improvised from recycled scraps of metal, plastic or wood.

The 98-page online catalog, FINDING NORTH, can be viewed at stevenspowers.com

The Outsider Art Fair takes place at The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011, January 17-20, 2019.