The Old, Weird America considers a widespread resurgence of folk themes in recent art from the United States. By giving visual form to archetypal stories and characters from the time of European settlement through the 1960s, the artists featured in the exhibition both participate in and reflect upon folklore’s fraught role in the quest for roots, values, and authenticity. Featuring a wide range of media—sculpture, drawing, photography, and video—The Old, Weird America includes artwork by Jeremy Blake, Sam Durant, Barnaby Furnas, Matthew Day Jackson, Brad Kahlhamer, Margaret Kilgallen, Dario Robleto, Allison Smith, Kara Walker, and Charlie White, among others. The exhibition is accompanied by a 162-page fully illustrated catalogue.

The Old, Weird America was organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and has been made possible by the patrons, benefactors, and donors to the Museum’s Major Exhibition Fund. This exhibition has also been made possible by generous support from Union Pacific Foundation and Michael Zilkha.