David Butler (sculptor)

Butler was the eldest of eight children. His father was a carpenter and his mother was a Baptist Missionary. Born and raised in Good Hope, Louisiana, Butler began sculpting and woodworking under the tutelage of his father. He dropped out of school at an early age to take care of his younger siblings while his parents worked. His time spent entertaining and caring for his younger siblings, which fed the creativity and whimsy that later fueled his art work. Butler held various jobs typical of the residents of the Atchafalaya Basin, such as cutting grass and sugarcane, Eventually, he entered a nursing home in Morgan City, Louisiana, where he died in 1997. == Career ==

David Butler was affectionately called "The Tin Man" by local children. Although Butler never gave credence to these claims, he was adamant that his work was inspired by and carried out for God. He claimed to receive "dreams from God" that inspired him. His faith was learned from his mother, a Baptist missionary, leaving Butler ambivalent about selling his work. In a statement for the Artist's Alliance in 1983, he said " I can make things because God gave me a gift. God don't want no one selling what's a gift. If you have a gift, then you shouldn't be taking no money." Throughout his life, he refuted claims that he was an artist and never attended exhibition openings or made gallery visits. As Butler's work gained attention from museums and collectors, people began to exploit Butler's gifts and environment. Notably, collectors would enter his property unannounced, typically when Butler was not home, take work from his collection, and leave whatever payment they saw fit without consulting or gaining permission from Butler. His family took pieces as well, and sold them to art dealers without permission. Even after Butler's relocation from his ransacked home to an assisted living facility, his children continued to replicate his work and sell it to potential buyers. Exhibitions and Permanent Collections Butler's work has been documented in the following exhibitions: • Shared Visions, Separate Realities. 22 Mar.- 2 May. 1985, East Campus Gallery- Valencia Community College, Valencia, LA. • Baking in the Sun: Visionary Images from the South. 1987, University of Southwestern Louisiana Art Museum, Lafayette, LA. • Black Folk Art in America: 1930–1980.14 Feb.- 28 Mar. 1989, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. • ''It'll Come True: Eleven Artists First and Last.'' 11 Apr.-16 May 1992, Artists' Alliance, Lafayette, LA. • Sublime Spaces and Visionary Worlds: built environments of vernacular artists. 2007, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. • Outside Art of David Butler. 15 Jun. 2011- Mar. 2012, Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans. • Shelter: David Butler-- Road Less Traveled Exhibition Series. 17 May- 10 Sep. 2017, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. • Outliers and Vanguard Artists. 28 Jan.- 13 May. 2018, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. • Vernacular Voices: Self-Taught, Outsider, and Visionary Art from the Permanent Collection. 8 Mar.- 14 Jul 2019, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans. Butler's work is held in the following museums' permanent collections: • The Newark Museum of Art • African American Museum of Dallas' Billy R. Allen Folk Art Collection • Philadelphia Museum of Art. • High Museum's T. Marshall Hahn Collection. • Ogden Museum of Southern Art. • New Orleans Museum of Art • American Folk Art Museum • Akron Art Museum • Museum of International Folk Art • Smithsonian American Art Museum == References ==