Here is an intimate glimpse into the lives and work of thirty-four self-taught artists, two folk art environments, and one museum, which tells the tale of a region's fast-disappearing way of life. Kathy Moses' thoughtful, insightful portraits introduce us to these men and women, some of whom are well known and some not so well known, but who all are driven by a compelling need to create. Their stories are told with warmth, affection, and respect. For many of these artists, this is the first time they have been presented to a wider audience. With 375-plus photographs, the book beautifully illustrates the range of each artist's work, with more examples per artist than has been shown before. The book is also an invaluable reference guide, with a source section that lists museums and galleries where the art may be seen and purchased, a retail price guide, a bibliography, and many organizations, publications, shows, and auctions devoted to Southern folk, outsider, and visionary art.[AuthorName]By Kathy Moses Shelton[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Kathy S. Moses, a Philadelphia native, has been a newspaper reporter with The Philadelphia Bulletin and has worked in historic preservation for ten years-with a restoration architect, then for a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning engineering firm that specialized in museums and historic buildings, and as a museum director. She was the Executive Director of The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, a Victorian historic house museum with gardens and a restoration library, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where she resides today. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin, attended the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications, and holds a graduate degree in Historic Preservation from The University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Moses is gallery director at Shelton Gallery in Nashville, which specializes in Southern folk and outsider art, 19th- and 20th-century American art, and the work of contemporary artist Red Grooms. She has written for national magazines and serves on the grant review panel of the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, helping to decide how public funds are allotted to local arts organizations. Her varied career has had one central theme, an intense interest in people-how they act, how they live, and how they create.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]444 color & 12 b/w photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle][/SubTitle][ColorPattern]444 color & 12 b/w photos[/ColorPattern]