John Jerit, Tennessee - MEET THE COLLECTOR Series Part Seven
For part seven of my MEET THE COLLECTOR series, I was put in touch with John Jerit who resides in Tennessee. He has collected contemporary American Folk Art and Outsider Art since 2001, doing so alongside building his 3D glasses empire. Read on to find out more…
John Jerit in his office surrounded by art
1. When did your interest in the field of outsider/folk art begin?
Even as a child I have always collected something. For most of my adult life, I leaned towards antiques such as old advertising signage, tin toys, World War I posters, and arts and crafts furnishings. Also, I have always collected a bit of Americana mostly in the form of tramp art boxes and frames, so transitioning to Folk Art in 2000/2001 felt natural as I became aware of the Hungarian born naïve artist Ladis W. Sabo. I was intrigued by this retired tailor who painted in memory style and ended up buying 21 of his paintings from a New York dealer who was representing the estate.
2. When did you become a collector of this art? How many pieces do you think are in your collection now?
I would say I became a collector of contemporary American Folk Art in 2001 when I attended my first Slotin Folk Art auction in Buford, Georgia. This was the first auction of Herbert Wade Hemphill Jr.’s estate. There were 700 items in the auction and I left with about 70 of them. The objects in his more than 2,000 piece collection, of which the Smithsonian cast off about 2/3, were still top-notch pieces of art in my opinion. I think it would be safe to say that there are at least 1,000 pieces in my collection currently.
3. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your 3D paper glasses business?
I have always been an entrepreneur. I started the 3D glasses business from scratch 30 years ago with one product that was used for enhancing fireworks shows. My previous background in the fireworks industry allowed me to take my 3D fireworks glasses to market. From there, my business took off and has been wildly successful having sold nearly 3 billion 3D glasses for everything from movies, television, theme parks, events, and kid’s meal programs.
Installation shot inside John’s home - including an incredible Henry Darger piece to the top left of the photograph
4. What is it that draws your eye away from contemporary art to outsider/folk art? Or do you collect both?
Currently I only collect Outsider/Folk Art. Obviously I can appreciate contemporary art and enjoy seeing it but I do find, for myself, it is much easier to focus on the Outsider/Folk Art field. There are so many interesting Outsider artists both in the U.S. and around the world that I still find it very satisfying to focus in this field. What really draws my eye to Outsider/Folk Art, is the artist’s unbridled passion to create. When I look at Outsider art I feel like I am looking at the soul of the artist transferred onto paper, canvas, or wood in a fashion that is so personal that it speaks to me.
5. What style of work, if any, is of particular interest to you within this field? (for example is it embroidery, drawing, sculpture, and so on)
Early in my collecting career I was mostly drawn to sculpture, but in the last five years or so I have been more attracted to paintings and drawings. Ultimately, in the end, I have no strong preference between flat or dimensional objects but I am no longer buying art I know I won’t display in my house.
6. Would you say you had a favorite artist or piece of work within your collection? And why?
That is a tough question as I am partial to many artists in my collection. My top favorites for some time have been Elijah Pierce, Howard Finster, Felipe Archuleta, Purvis Young, and Bill Traylor. Today, my favorite piece in my collection is an Elijah Pierce diptych called ‘Bible Stories’. I acquired it a little over a year ago but it took over five years of work to get the owner to part with it. In many ways, it represents my love of sculpture as well as narrative storytelling. ‘Bible Stories’ has 17 carvings by Pierce and is over 4 feet by 5 feet.
One of John’s favourite works by Elijah Pierce
7. Is there an exhibition in this field of art that you have felt has been particularly important? And why?
Yes. Ironically, it was an amazing exhibition in 2004, that was actually shown here in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee at the University of Memphis. The show was entitled ‘Coming Home! Self-Taught Artists, the Bible, and the American South’ which was curated by art scholar Dr. Carol Crown. It was an amazing show of religious self-taught art. I must have gone to see it at the University seven or eight times before it traveled. I now own several pieces from this show.
8. Where would you say you buy most of your work from: a studio, art fairs, exhibitions, or direct from artists?
I buy very little directly from artists as many of the artists that I collect are deceased so the majority of what I currently purchase comes from dealers, art fairs (such as the Outsider Art Fair), as well as at auctions such as Slotin Folk Art Auction, Christie’s, or online auctions. I also buy, sell, and trade with other collectors.
9. As you have a large collection now, what sort of pieces are you looking to continue to add to your collection?
I am now looking to only add major pieces to my collection by top self-taught artists. I am always on the hunt for a new Adolf Wölfli, Bill Traylor, or another Martin Ramirez to add to the two that I already own. Of course, even though I own many great early Finsters, I am always open to another one.
10. I have read that your collection is hung in your office and home, and that you have several pieces in storage. Do you ever change the works around and bring pieces from your storage out to swap with what is hanging?
The majority of my best quality objects are displayed in my home and across the street from my home in a gallery style environment. I have quite a bit also in my office and a trailer full at my office in storage. I often move stuff around primarily between my home and gallery space. I have plenty of objects that I often sell or trade that I bought earlier in my collecting career. This allows me to upgrade as well as focus on just collecting better pieces.
Install shot inside John’s home
11. Have you ever organized external exhibitions of your collection, or do you plan to? And/or do you ever loan pieces to other exhibitions and what would be your remits to loan work to shows?
I personally have never organised an exhibition that was just focused on my collection. I hope to do that in the next five years or so. I often loan pieces for group shows or to major institutions who are focusing on a particular artist. I am always glad to loan as long as I know that I will be able to handle missing it for a period of time. I struggle when I have to loan something for more than a year!
12. A conflicted term at present, but can you tell us about your opinion of the term outsider art, how you feel about it and if there are any other words that you think we should be using instead?
There is always a lot of chatter about the right word to describe things. Like tidy things up to make it a nice sell-able bundle. I like outsider art, but non-art aficionados are immediately confused. Folk art is easiest, but it reduces its value and ‘sexiness’. Ultimately, I like self taught the best .
13. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Collecting self-taught art has been an absolute blast for me not only as a hobby but also as a great way to travel and to meet other collectors in the same field. I love showing my collection as well as seeing other people’s collections and their passion for what they have purchased over the years.
I am proud to say that my name is John Jerit and I am a Folk-a-holic!