"A song of praise to the nation, American Anthem celebrates the symbols of liberty, ingenuity, and refuge indelibly embedded in American folk art from colonial days through the present. This glorious full-color volume highlights treasures from the important collection of the American Folk Art Museum - works that will be on display from June 2002 through December 2002 as part of the inaugural series of exhibitions in the Museum's stunning new building in New York City." "From Log Cabin quilts and painted wood furniture to watercolors and oil paintings; from Hosea Hayden's idiosyncratic folding chairs to the drawings of the octogenarian street artist and former slave Bill Traylor; from Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog, the masterpiece of 19th-century ancestral portrait artist Ammi Phillips, to works by the noted contemporary self-taught artist Thornton Dial Sr. - here are 266 remarkable examples of this vital yet still under-examined American art form." "The range of this collection represents the very best of American folk art over three centuries. This book, and the accompanying exhibition, marks the first time that such a comprehensive selection of folk art masterworks has been made available to the public."--BOOK JACKET.

Catalog of an exhibition held at the American Folk Art Museum.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 422-423) and index.