The Art Of The Weathervane

American Weathervanes: The Art of the Winds, published to coincide with an exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum, reveals the beauty, historical significance, and technical virtuosity of American vanes fashioned between the late seventeenth and early twentieth centuries. This American art form has long been an enduring part of the country's skylines. Early church steeples were graced with weathercocks, following a European tradition that dates to the MiddleAges. America's first documented vane maker, metalsmith Shem Drowne of Boston, crafted a number of surviving vanes, including the iconic golden grasshopper that has topped the city's Faneuil Hall since 1742. Farmers, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen proudly fashioned roosters, cows, horses, and other forms for country barns, and as the tradition and public demand expanded over the course of the nineteenth century, so did the diversity of forms, which grew to fill the mail order catalogs of commercial manufacturers in Boston, New York, and other cities. Today, weathervanes hold a well-established place in the canon of American folk art and American Weathervanes celebrates this artistry in the most up-to-date and authoritative work on the subject. Lavishly illustrated with masterworks from prominent private and public collections, this is a book to be treasured by anyone who collects or simply admires American vernacular art and sculpture.

This useful book contains detailed patterns of 68 beautiful weather vanes, each modelled on an original American folk art masterpiece. The complete instructions -- for enlarging and reducing the patterns, making the weather vane, and putting together the standard that supports the weather vane -- make it easy to know which way the wind blows. But that's not all: you can use these charming patterns for dozens of other folk art projects, including Christmas ornaments, cribbage boards, bookends, chopping boards and children's toys.

From classic folk art styles to never-before-seen designs, weathervanes from many sources illustrate the distinctive vitality of this artistic form. 60 color plates bring many weathervanes to life visually, as they serve as both practical wind direction indicators and decorative architectural ornaments. Manufacturers are identified and their backgrounds are explored.

Using over 290 crisp color images, 25 detailed line drawings, and concise text, Bruce Helmreich guides readers through the steps necessary to build a hand-hammered copper weathervane. This step-by-step guide transforms a sheet of copper into a fully functioning weathervane. Folk art subjects used in American weathervanes are shown, including domesticated and wild animals, birds, occupations, patriotic themes, and transportation. Create your own design or use the complete set of plans included to produce a traditional rooster weathervane. Using basic tools (tin snips and hammers), ageless techniques, and sheet copper available at your local sheet metal shop, this book will teach you how to make a weathervane that will serve your roof for years. Whether you are an experienced metal worker, or a woodworker who is looking for a challenge, this is the book for you.

Catalog of an exhibit of weathervanes in the collection of the Shelburne Museum, a leading folk, fine, and decorative arts museum in Shelburne, Vermont.

I never imagined how many artistic forms something as simple as a weather vane could be made into . Traveling for work from gas field to gas field these caught my attention. It's become a hobby of sorts. Something to keep an eye open for as the miles go by.As I began to see the diversity in the subjects folks made into weather vanes I even looked for them when I was traveling out of country. From Nova Scotia in Canada to McMurdo Station in the Antartic and across the west. Folks never seem to run out of ideas. I've seen weather vanes portray sports, animals, from the ocean To The mountains, hobbies, the old west, rodeo, birds of all kinds.These can be bought in a number of designs. They come in three dimensional, flat steel, painted, powder coated. The technology for cutting steel presents the possibility that if you can imagine it, you can have it made.These are small works of art and a statement that folks like to add to their roof tops. A simple thing to express what they enjoy. I hope you enjoy the diversity of the works I've seen in my travels.

For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art web site. This is the first comprehensive, scholarly study of a most fascinating aspect of American history and culture. Generously illustrated with both black and white and full-color photos, this A-Z encyclopedia covers every aspect of American folk art, encompassing not only painting, but also sculpture, basketry, ceramics, quilts, furniture, toys, beadwork, and more, including both famous and lesser-known genres. Containing more than 600 articles, this unique reference considers individual artists, schools, artistic, ethnic, and religious traditions, and heroes who have inspired folk art. An incomparable resource for general readers, students, and specialists, it will become essential for anyone researching American art, culture, and social history.

First used to gauge New England’s ever-changing weather, now viewed as American folk art, historic weathervanes have been a part of the region’s skyline for more than three centuries. Focusing on examples that can still be seen in public, this comprehensive study of the development of the weathervane describes changes in form and function from colonial times to the present, and also documents the histories of weathervane makers throughout New England.