Agria 40. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2004)

Bánszky Pál: A hagyomány és korszerűség viszonyának alakulása az utóbbi 50 év tárgyi népművészetében

Pál Bánszky Tradition and Modernity in Contemporary Folk Art In this article art historian Pál Bánszky, president of the Association of Folk Art Societies, provides a summary of the development of folk art. By looking at the events of the last fifty years and referring to his own personal experiences, the author focuses on the demise of folk costume, the sinking of folk art to the level of "souvenir bric-à-brac and airport art" as well as looking at the effect of the workshops and the collection and recording of folk objects which took place during the 1970s. The demand for new media has also come about, to the point that they now occupy a position of pre-eminence. In the last quarter of the 20

th century for example the carving of statues has grown disproportionately. The author believes a return to the combined values of utility and beauty to be the important challenge for our times. In the world in which we live the survival of folk art is dependent on an understanding of what today's needs are, and how they should be satisfied. We need to find a means of enabling folk art to survive in our contemporary world by involving ever more artists and craftsmen in the practice of an ever greater number of activities. 377