Accession Number2002/1.217
TitleYellow Critter
Artist(s)Minnie BlackObject Creation Date1960-1996Medium & Supportpainted and embellished gourdDimensions 4 3/4 x 13 1/4 x 6 3/4 in. (12 x 33.6 x 17 cm)
Credit LineGift of The Daniel and Harriet Fusfeld Folk Art CollectionLabel copyMinnie Black
United States, 1899–1996
Yellow Critter
1960–96
Painted and embellished gourd
Gift of the Daniel and Harriet Fusfeld Folk Art Collection, 2002/1.217
While households have made objects out of gourds for centuries, Minnie Black used gourds as a sculptural medium. Black started her first gourd garden around 1960, and by the late 1960s she had created her own Gourd Craft Museum, a roadside attraction filled with her sculptural creations. Minnie also founded what she termed “the world’s only all-gourd senior citizens’ band,” who played gourd instruments of Black’s making. Her artistic endeavors and outgoing personality made her a media darling of the 1980s, when she appeared on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman.
(Out of the Ordinary, 2010)
Primary Object Classification Sculpture Primary Object Typefound objectAdditional Object Classification(s)SculptureCollection AreaModern and ContemporaryRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
Animals
fantasy (imagination)
yellow